New Horizons
by Kyzer IX
Summary: A unique, plausible AU where the Uchiha thrive (especially a radical cult plotting to overthrow Konoha), Minato remains Hokage & Naruto isn't a moron. Included in this story are logical butterfly effects, original additions, & familiar characters with new personalities. Chapters released at least once every two months, sometimes more. In progress! (:
1. Good Morning

**1**

 **-Good Morning-**

* * *

 **Konoha - Uzumaki Clan District**

Birds chirped brightly outside a dimly lit bedroom before an eager alarm clock began its irritating din. Blaring in several offensive bursts, a hand lazily collapsed onto the simple machine as its owner groaned into consciousness.

Cracking open two bleary blues, a young man with whisker marks on his cheeks sat up on a wide, rustled bed. Throwing his arms up with a gaping, stretching yawn, the drowsy blonde scratched his head as he turned about, observing his shaded surroundings with a squint.

His room, while unkempt on a regular basis, appeared especially disheveled with liquor bottles, half-written scrolls, and clothes strewn about. Some articles were definitely out of the ordinary, however, as the boy was soon to discover.

"What in the... What day is it?" the disoriented shinobi asked himself, yawning again as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Naruto-kun?" a sleepy voice asked as a body shifted gently beside him. The waking man known as Naruto froze as the light of sobriety fully roused his senses.

'That sounds like Sakura,' he thought to himself in a stupor. The shocking realization startled him into bright awareness as he turned to his left, finding his suspicions to be true.

"Oh, Sakura-chan…" the Uzumaki greeted quietly, acknowledging her existence in his bed. 'What's going on? How did she get here?' he thought to himself nervously, desperately attempting to recall the happenings of the night before.

"Naruto, lay back down," Sakura giggled languidly, her tone highly influential despite the alien situation.

"Uh- well, I'm not really tired anymore, eheh…" Laughing sheepishly, he passed the pink-haired kunoichi some lacey underwear atop his nightstand while a sudden heat rose in his cheeks. She simply nuzzled back into her previous position with a shrug.

'Did we... Did I? Oh man, I can't remember a damn thing...' Naruto rested his spikey hair in both palms as he attempted to cipher through blurry memories. Rubbing his eyes again after sparing another glance toward the girl in his bed, he decided this was indeed reality. 'Calm down. You've got this. Just take a shower and figure it out.'

"Hey, uh, I'm gonna go take a shower, so," the blonde announced awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as his discomfort went unnoticed.

She simply tightened the hold of her partner-less cuddle, sighing, "Mhm, I'm just gonna…"

Naruto began to stand up but swiftly sat back down in shock. He was naked.

Looking over his shoulder, the now awakened bachelor took a healthy look at his feminine guest. Haruno Sakura, the emerald-eyed woman Naruto was infatuated with early in his ninja career. She was in his bed, just as nude as her host albeit the sheet she pulled tightly around her.

The powerful kunoichi was curled toward him as her small breaths huffed. Her smooth features were relaxed in a calm state of rest that prodded at Naruto's soft spot. The shoulder-length pink hair she boasted was a mess, tussled about in a satisfying display. Finding it in him to fully observe his guest, Naruto's eyes ran over her silhouetted curves.

'Damn it, I can't believe this..' the shinobi thought to himself as he finally got up, making his way to the bathroom. 'I have to remember what happened last night.'

Rubbing his head in wonder, the Uzumaki pushed his shower curtain aside and stepped in. He tried to relax as he turned on the water, facing away from the showerhead with his eyes closed. The warm, soothing spray poured over Naruto's body as he concentrated deeply on his memories.

 _ **Flashback - Previous Night**_

" _Ohhh yeah, it's Narutoo!" a gruff male voice bellowed out with zest as he stood in a haughty stance among one of the many vibrant, bustling vendor districts Konoha offered._

" _Oh, hey Kiba!" Naruto responded heartily at his canine loving friend, lifting an arm to wave as they met. "Excited for tonight?"_

" _Hell yeah! Ready to unleash my rugged charm, ahahah," Kiba nudged jokingly as he joined his whiskered comrade. "What about you? Think you'll get yourself some tail?"_

" _Heheh, maybe. We'll see. But either way it'll be fun!" he assured as they weaved between oncoming foot traffic._

 _'I can't wait to see what the rest of the girls look like,' the Uzumaki pondered excitedly as he glanced to his left and noticed a very familiar face. "Sasuke! Oi, big number two!" he shouted challengingly at his best friend who stood across a busy courtyard lit with innumerable rice paper lanterns._

 _The brilliant Uchiha turned from a conversation with his eldest sibling to regard his academy rival and companion. "Heh, shove it punk," the young genius retorted, a wry smile spreading over his cool visage, "our scores were identical!"_

 _Appearing between his buddies in a shunshin (body flicker jutsu), Sasuke wrapped an arm around each of them. "You men ready for this party? I heard everyone from our academy class will be there. Graduates, non-graduates; it'll be packed with everybody and their plus one's. Well… maybe except for_ Mr. Stoic _himself, hahah," the Uchiha joked slyly, referring to a lone Aburame Shino off to the side. "Hey Shino! Do you think you'll actually show up tonight?"_

 _Shocking no one, the bug user didn't rise to the jab. "I don't believe so. Why not you may ask? Because I do not find a night of debauchery to be fun," Shino answered seriously from behind his round, black sunglasses._

" _C'mon Shinoo! What do you even do now-a-days bro? All the years as genin together and I still don't think I know what you ever do for fun. Is there anything you like?" Kiba jabbed, suddenly rethinking his last question. "Other than bugs, obviously."_

" _Why yes, I take joy in many things. Practices such as reading, training and successfully executing missions. Why do I not partake in alcoholic shinanigans you ask? Because I must always be ready; ever vigilant. What would become of me if the village were assaulted while I was intoxicated? I must never let my_ Will of Fire _be impaired by poor judgement or choices," the subtle ninja finished, almost displaying a hint of passion in his tone toward the end of his tangent - though his body language barely shifted._

" _Is he insulting us?" the instigating Uchiha inquired under his breath._

" _I don't know..." Naruto whispered, shifting his complexion to one of awkward comradery. "Well whatever makes you happy Shino. Err, you get happy, right?" the blonde questioned sheepishly, getting what felt to be a drip of killing intent from his old classmate._

" _Eheh, Nevermind... Well, see you 'round- take it easy!" the Uzumaki finished, quickly nudging his friends along._

 _The young men strolled on, lazily searching for more friends as they made casual comments on Shino's strangeness until a classically dressed woman purposefully blocked their path._

" _Well look at you three," a confident female voice allured, approaching slowly before halting in posed elegance._

' _Holy_ _...' Kiba thought to himself as he took in an eyeful of the platinum blonde kunoichi._

 _'Heh, look at this fool,' Sasuke thought, catching Naruto's congruent glance before slightly bumping Kiba under his left arm to wake him from his stupor._

" _Hey there Ino," the blonde jonin greeted in composed wonder, diligently scrutinizing the details of her appearance. "You look really nice."_

" _Well thank you Naruto, I'm glad someone noticed my efforts," the entrancing woman replied, her voice like satin as she giggled._

 _The Yamanaka was wearing a form-fit black dress with purple accents along the edges. The sleeveless attire had an open back, with a brave slit for movement daringly high on the right thigh, as well as a horizontal oval opening on her bosom to divert more attention to her gifted chest. Facing her, the dress ended at just below her right knee and rose up to her thigh on the left. She was adorned with small purple flower earrings, further complimenting the accents on her gown. Her long, healthy hair was done up in a wide, magnificent braid that still reached between her shoulder blades._

" _You men look quite handsome yourselves," the dolled up Ino complimented with a smooth wandering of her eyes._

 _The three dapper men were dressed in suits of varying designs._

 _Kiba sported a matt-white coat and trousers with a matching fedora and shiny black shoes. He also wore a brilliantly blue silk tie over the matt-black shirt underneath._

 _Sasuke was adorn in a fitting black and white tuxedo with a scarlet bow-tie. Paying homage to his clan were six black tomoe on his white shirt going down his chest and abdomen._

 _Naruto was dressed in a suit similar to Kiba, but with a black jacket and trousers. Underneath he was dressed in a purple silk shirt, with a stark-white tie made from the same material._

" _A real trio of gentlemen. But I think the girls and I might have you outmatched," the psychic charmed with a wink, making the three bachelors shudder without her notice._

 _Slowly turning to depart for said acquaintances, she spoke over her shoulder, "Sakura and Hinata are still getting ready I think, but I've seen their outfits. You're going to be picking your jaws up off the floor," she finished with a boastful smile, lingering on them for a moment as she sauntered away. She fully enjoyed the ploy with her male classmates._

 _The ninja trio watched Ino curiously as she disappeared into the night crowd before they resurfaced to breathe the fresh air of reality._

 _"Wow, well... Think I have a chance?" Kiba asked cautiously, a stupid grin stretching across his face as he looked between his companions._

" _Sure Kiba, I think you'll have a chance. Once you find a way to beat me to her, that is," Sasuke jested, looking Kiba in the eyes with a flare of his sharingan._

" _Bring it on Uchiha!" the Inuzuka challenged with a wide show of sharp canines._

" _Let's go you morons, doesn't the party start soon?" Naruto asked lamely, dragging his lust-struck friends forward again to stop by his house. "We're taking a detour, I forgot my wallet and invitation. Wouldn't want to have to use henge (transformation jutsu) to get in!" the whiskered bachelor chuckled innocently._

" _Well it's 9:38PM right now," Sasuke informed them, activating his sharingan to focus on a clock past a crowd of people through a quickly closing door inside one of the restaurants. "It technically starts at 10PM, but I'm all about being fashionably late," the raven haired boy finished, smirking in a confident manner as he shifted an onyx gaze between his comrades._

" _Sasuke, just because we like to fuck around and call you Sasukeul doesn't mean you're the shinobi god of coolness," Kiba taunted, eliciting a growling semi-headlock from his Uchiha counterpart._

 _"HAH, oh shit Kiba! Hahah, I totally forgot about Sasukeul!" Naruto bellowed hilariously as he doubled over, clutching at his belly. References from the academy nickname they gave their colleague shot through his mind in a blaze of nostalgic delight. "Ahah, ohh man. Nope, I don't think I can ever forget that one again."_

 _"I hate you guys..." their subject of humiliation muttered, producing a sweatdrop on his temple._

" _We love you too!" his comrades returned in unison, laughing at their classmate's expense._

 _"Next time you decide to give someone a nickname, why don't you-"_

 _ **End Flashback**_

"Naruto...?"

'Oh c'mon, I was on a roll here!' the showering jinchuuriki thought as he heard Sakura's wandering voice. Following the static sound of his meditative rinse, the emerald eyed warrior found her way into the steamy air of his bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she gracelessly stepped into the shower with him.

"S-Sakura- get out!" Naruto stammered bashfully, completely out of wits with no plan on what to do about the situation. "What are you doing?!"

"Well I couldn't get back to sleep. So I decided to take a shower. Save water, ya know?" Miss Haruno teased tiredly, trailing off with her voice in an evocative manner. "But since we're here…"

Naruto bit down on his tongue. 'This is too perfect. Yeah, there is no way this is real. I wonder if-'

"Oh my, look at you," Sakura let off with a giggle, eyeing the Uzumaki below his waist as the man covered himself.

"Shit- hey!" the blonde cursed unconsciously, knowing full well what she was alluding to as he turned around to face the water in a blush. "Sakura, get out- what are you planning?"

"Aw, I just wanna have some fun..." the pink haired woman mumbled with a dreary-eyed grin. Her voice softened as she wrapped her arms around her male companion from behind.

"S-Sakura, we definitely blacked out yesterday, or something; I don't even know how you got here!" the frantic young ninja admitted fervently, way out of his comfort zone as he battled an overwhelming urge. 'What is this?!'

"Oh don't be shy," she tested hotly, speaking with the utmost seduction. Filled with unbound confidence, the kunoichi allowed her hands to wander down Naruto's ridged abdomen. "Hey, maybe you can jog my memory back?"

Looking down at her soft descending hands, the Uzumaki was rocked by a heap of sexual suggestion and pounding desire.

"Mm, uheh- C'mon..." the bijuu container halted, woefully gripping Sakura's wrists as her fingertips were just barely out of reach.

"What is it?" she replied in a feint of innocence, pulling her hands up to his chest as she pressed her body onto his back. "Nervous?"

"Well, yeah but- besides right now," he referenced, gesturing vaguely as he looked back into her faded green eyes, "we've never done anything before."

"Last night begs to differ." Smoothly turning her shy partner around, she looked up into his wide sapphires with mischief on her face. Her half-lidded emeralds were glazed and lustful.

"Saku-" he started.

Rudely interrupted in his attempt to be a gentleman, Sakura embraced him with a kiss and a delicate hand on his whiskered cheek.

A sudden torrent of information hit Naruto at once, bombarding him with shocks of the previous day.

" _Woah_!" he shouted suddenly after breaking the hot embrace, mildly startling the fair skinned woman before him. "I think I remember!"

Barely able to function, Sakura opened her heavy eyes to look on Naruto with confusion. "You remember what...? Last night?"

"Yes- _yes_! I do- or at least who most likely caused this," he stammered excitedly, feeling a mixture of emotions involving relief and sprouting anger.

"Ah, happy now?" the medic-nin asked politely, turning her object of fascination around as she gained a few inches on the tips of her toes. "May I?"

"No wait," Naruto burst, grabbing her shoulders as a look of disappointment replaced her affectionate demeanor. "Let me think..."

'Okay, I remember... there was the dancing, we all got drunk, we all looked awesome- what else...' Naruto wondered as the girl he held shot cheeky sneak peaks. 'Ignore her. Doesn't matter at this point. Just think, think. Neji and the girls left early for their mission, Unzari landed a slow dance, Lee was drunk enough to hit on the second bartender-"

A light bulb went off in his mind. 'Oh ho, that little shit. Oh he's not as slick as he's going to wish he was!'

"Okay, okay. I think I've got it, we might have been drugged, and I'm willing to bet it's a prank. Look, I just don't want to have you under false pretenses, even though this all feels like it was straight out of a dream," he elaborated, thoroughly vexed. 'Shit. Straight out of a dream… That actually makes sense. Damn it. Genjutsu? Ugh.'

"Sweetie," his old crush yearned, staring her nude companion in the eyes. "Who cares? We're here now, and I want you."

"But I wanted you to want me normally. Own your own. When I wanted this I wanted it from my own pursuit, not from some kid's joke," Naruto explained regretfully, sighing as he turned her down.

"You know, I don't think we did anything last night, if it makes you feel better," Sakura admitted after some thought, pressing a palm against her lower belly.

"What do you mean?" the whiskered boy asked blankly, nearly oblivious to her tender shift in mood.

"Well, Naruto, you're a passionate guy," Sakura grinned with a raised eyebrow, leaning to one hip. "If we did anything I should still feel it."

"Er," Naruto gulped, hurriedly turning around to shut off the shower, beaming embarrassingly as he stepped out. "C'mon, let's get dressed so I can murder the person responsible."

"Fine. You know who it is?" she asked lamely, heavy disappointment weighing her tone.

"I have an idea. Actually wait, you're fluent in genjutsu; are you sure that the stuff from last night…" Naruto trailed off, hoping she'd pick up the hint.

"Didn't actually happen?" Sakura finished for him, confusion flushing her features. "I doubt it now."

"Is there a way to figure out what memories are real or not? I can't tell the difference," he asked as he began to dry off, making sure he stayed covered as she followed.

"Well, unless I were to break it while under the illusion I wouldn't know for certain. But let's find your suspect, I'm sure they could clear this up. Afterwards..." Sakura alluded, hanging on her last word with a naughty expression.

"Damnit Sakura, calm down. Let's just get this all straightened out," Naruto grumbled, exiting the bathroom with a grumpy aura of stifled bewilderment. "Once we've had a few days to clear our heads we can discuss this."

"Hmph… Fine. Why do you have to be all responsible and stuff?" the toned woman asked, pushing the man walking in front of her as they made their way to the bedroom to find their clothes. "I get you're the Hokage's son and all, but you could still manage to loosen up a bit. By the way, who is it that you think tampered with our drinks or whatever?"

"There's only one damn brat who'd have the audacity to try and prank a party filled to the brim with brand new jonin, ya know," the elite shinobi answered with a furrow of his brow.

"Oh no…" Sakura mumbled as she took a mental guess, cringing at the thought of being manipulated by the infamous chunin.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "That little bastard's gonna pay."

 **End**

* * *

 **Be patient, it takes a little time to familiarize the audience with the AU characters. Essential plot details surface in Chapter 6**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	2. Dress Up

**2**

 **-Dress Up-**

* * *

 _ **-**_ _ **Flashback**_ _ **-**_

 **Noon, Pre-party; Restaurant District**

"Idiot…" a disgruntled boy mumbled to himself, scribbling furiously in a notepad between upward glances. His target seemed to be an Uzumaki who was conversing with his Uchiha counterpart under the midday shade of the courtyard's oaks.

'That yellow-haired punk thinks he could just up and take the Hokage's seat whenever he wants to? I don't think so fool!' an irritated sixteen-year-old thought, his brow furrowed as he wrote.

"You think being a jinchuuriki makes you cool? Huh, punk?" the young ninja mumbled to himself, using henge (transformation jutsu) to appear as a bland-looking civilian while spying on his fixture of admiration and rivalry through a bakery's window.

Looking down at his notepad, the undercover ninja ran his scrutinizing eyes over what he had written thus far. He had been undergoing reconnaissance for two days now, marking down relevant information for his biggest prank yet; dismantling the high-classed party Konoha's young jonin had assembled together. Details he was gathering included who would be attending, where the party would be located, and the hired staff that would be serving the . Entirely useless or not, he wrote down what he found.

The shinobi incognito looked up from his script to find that his subject had apparently left while he had been distracted.

'Damn. Where in the f-'

"Konohamaru?" a man asked casually from behind him, his voice lazy but powerfully present.

'Shit,' the boy known as Sarutobi Konohamaru thought as he didn't visibly react. Turning, he let out an inward, miniscule sigh of relief, "Oh, Kakashi-sensei. You're looking for Konohamaru-san?"

"Well yes I am," Kakashi chuckled with a crinkle of his dark eyes, "and I think I found him..." he finished knowingly with a grin behind his signature mask.

A puff of smoke from the plain-looking man revealed him to be a teenage ninja. He had spiky dark-brown hair similar in style to his uncle, the veteran jonin known as Sarutobi Asuma. He wore his Konoha headband around his forehead with the metal face centered on his right temple, a short-sleeve white jacket with turquoise trim that had two medium sized alternating buttons on the chest, with the abdomen left open wide to reveal a black shirt with sleeves reaching his knuckles that he wore underneath which was also trimmed with turquoise. The young Sarutobi had black pants with matching trim around the waist and a ninja tool pouch taped to his left leg. The ankles of his pants were taped down to his black, closed-toed combat sandals and around his neck was the "Honorable Grandson's" signature blue-green scarf that somehow grew longer over the years.

"Wha- but how'd you know it was me?" the detected boy asked incredulously, scrambling to stuff his notes into his vest. "How'd you suspect anything?!"

Another puff of smoke similar to Konohamaru's helped to answer his question. Waving the scentless smoke out of his eyes, he looked to see a burly and fairly tall blonde man with whisker marks on his cheeks.

Naruto was dressed in his sturdy, unique jonin attire.

The Uzumaki wore a short sleeve, mesh armor shirt that was taped to his waistline by wraps slanted by three inches, with the highest point at his left hip - making up several segments of seals that ran all around the makeshift belt. He boasted durable white pants with black stitching that are similar to what is standard for jonin or Anbu; ending at the calf, revealing deep red socks that went over and under the center of his matching black combat sandals. Atop the jonin's shoulders he wore his signature high-collared black cloak with three buttons on the chest that opened up at the lower belly. The garb reached down similarly to his father's Hokage cloak except for the fact that it has long, fitting sleeves and it stops at the knees on the front while carrying down to reach his ankles in the back where the highly durable material is tattered from years of abuse. Elegantly designed fire was thickly emblazoned in burning crimson at the lower trim of the cloak, rising up a foot from the bottom towards the top, and around the cuffs of the wrists. An Uzumaki clan swirl was proudly sewn into the middle of the back, matching the color of the trim and the kanji for "Fire" embroidered onto the left side of the chest. Finally, resting on his forehead reigning in his wild, spiky yellow hair was Naruto's black Konoha headband.

"Excuse me, but who taught you henge jutsu?" the false-Kakashi inquired rhetorically, pretending to scold him.

"You did, Naruto-oniisan…" Konohamaru drawled out slowly, slightly embarrassed at being so easily discovered.

Naruto laughed in a satisfied manner, throwing his head back slightly. "I should get a thank you don't you think? For helping you gr- " he looked back to see a fiendish grin that burst into a plume of smoke. 'Oh no…this idiot. Really? Here, right in the middle of public?!'

From the smoke emerged a tall, busty brunette standing in a provocative pose that winked at Naruto with a seductive gasp. Small clouds of mist provided censorship for the appalled civilians.

"What do you think Naruto-kuuu- ?" the new woman asked in a moan before she was suddenly interrupted.

"BAKA!" the older boy yelled as he punched Konohamaru square in the face, dispelling his sexy jutsu; much to the chagrin of some male pedestrians. "What kind of moron does that in the middle of town?!"

Recoiling from the assault on his nose, Konohamaru yelled back, "YOU! Ahggh-ugh, oiroke no jutsu is something _you_ taught me!" he accused, holding his bloody nostrils closed with his right hand while accusing his superior with his left.

Cringing at being called out, Naruto chuckled guiltily as some amused gazes came from bystanders before he responded, "not anymore, Kono-baka! Sometimes you grow out of immature jokes!"

"Whatever, Naru-dweeb!" the brunette barked back, feeling the urge to summon a clone to help take the esteemed heir down.

The young jonin rubbed between his eyes with a sigh, calming himself from his minor outburst. That was the Kushina in him, which he recognized as he regained his composure.

"Come on buddy, I'll buy you lunch," the Uzumaki offered as he walked with Konohamaru to their favorite ramen vendor. "I can't stay and chat though because I have errands. Got to make sure I'm all set for this evening."

"Wow, thanks boss," Konohamaru replied gratefully, lightening up at the offer. "So what's the party for anyway?"

Naruto gave him a questioning look.

"What? I don't remember," Konohamaru grumbled, playing dumb. The act wasn't too hard to pull off as Naruto sighed.

"Well all of my friends from my academy class have finally been promoted to jonin. We've been through a lot together, so we decided last month that it was time to celebrate accordingly. Plus a few of us have been promoted to jonin captain, so a celebration was appropriate," the jinchuuriki enlightened as they walked, waving at the occasional passerby. "The life of a shinobi can be cruel, and we're all fortunate just to be breathing. Life is short, so why not have fun?" he concluded with a shrugging grin as the lucky chunin sat down to get ready for his free meal.

The Third's grandson nodded in agreement, seemingly sobered up from Naruto's last prospect. "Hey, can't you take on a team now?" he asked absently as he glazed over Ichiraku's ramen menu.

"Huh? You mean a team of genin?" the whiskered ninja questioned, wondering to himself briefly. "Wow, I hadn't thought about doing that yet. But yeah, technically I could."

"Naruto-kun," a gentle, densely familiar female voice inquired pleasantly.

"Oh, hey Hinata-chan!" the whiskered man responded with a welcoming grin, waving salutations to his genin team mate. "Just give me a moment."

The regal pale-eyed woman smiled eloquently, giving him a nod.

"Bye Konohamaru," the blonde offered as he gave the brunette a fist bump, "I'll catch you later. Ichiraku-sama!"

"Yes, ma-boy! What would you like?" Ichiraku replied boisterously, approaching the counter as he addressed his most loyal customer.

"I have to help Hinata-chan and go get ready for tonight, but I promised Konohamaru a meal on me! Please put whatever he orders on my bill," the beloved patron instructed as he walked away with the lady Hyuga.

"Yessir!" the valued ramen chef agreed with zest. "Now Sarutobi-san, what would you like?"

'Come to think of it, he said I could order anything,' the teenager thought to himself with a mischievous smile. "I'll have one order with beef ramen. Pork too, give me the works - and keep 'em coming!"

"Yes sir, coming right up. Ayame! Let's get to work!" the old man demanded, getting a shout of acknowledgement from the back of the store.

'Wow that worked out nicely for me.' Konohamaru thought, patiently waiting for his food. 'This must be divine intervention; I was destined to enact my revenge!'

'Wait, revenge for what again?'

'…'

'Oh right! Naruto-oniisan is my rival; the guy I gotta beat to reserve my seat as Hokage! Humbling him with my genius in the shinobi arts will surely put some points on the board for this mega-elite!' he daydreamed as he drooled into his palm.

"Is he alright?" Ayame whispered to her father noticing the chunin zone out.

"Oh, why he's simply dreaming of the delicious delights that will be thrilling his mouth with wonder and excitement in the most luscious of moments that are short to come!" Ichiraku declared proudly, striking a pose as they regarded their guest in suspense.

Noticing a disturbance, the distracted boy returned to reality with a sniff. "Huh?"

The chef's face-palmed.

 **Elsewhere**

"Thanks for coming with me Naruto-kun," Hinata mentioned gratefully as she led them along.

"Of course! I'm always happy to help," Naruto replied with a warm smile.

Casting a pale glance the blonde's way, the heiress smirked to herself, hoping tonight would be the night she would openly confess.

"By the way, why did you ask me to help you decide what you're going to wear?" her blonde team mate asked, bewildered by the woman's mind. "I thought that was a lady thing. Plus the party is basically on top of us. _"_

"Oh, well I've already gotten the girl's thoughts on what I have picked out Naruto-kun," the byakugan user clarified, feeling a slight warmth fill her cheeks. "We all went shopping together. It was a fun time and it actually became a sort of mini-competition. So I thought it would be nice to narrow down my decision with a man's opinion."

"Have you run it by Sasuke?" Naruto asked casually, instinctively opening the door to the tailor for his team mate who nodded gratefully as she responded.

"Well no, I didn't," the Hyuga answered sheepishly, pushing hair behind her ear.

"Oh, why not- was he busy or something?" the blonde continued, oblivious to any sub-context or meaning behind the gesture. "That would make sense, he's been training like crazy. Well we all have, but that's beside the point."

"I just wanted your opinion," Hinata stated solidly, making eye contact with the jinchuuriki.

"Oh, thanks Hinata-chan!" the Uzumaki exclaimed, lighting up. "It's nice to hear my opinion is valued by a lady, ya know?" he admitted with a chuckle as they approached the desk Hinata was leading them to.

'Ugh come on Naruto… I know you're a genius, but sometimes you completely fail with subtleties,' the kunoichi thought with an inward pout. Addressing the clerk, she requested politely, "Hyuga Hinata; I had a few dresses reserved here?"

Upon receiving her outfits from the gentleman, two members of Team 7 made their way to the dressing room where Naruto patiently waited while Hinata disrobed in one of the beige stalls.

Surrounded by blank walls, Naruto waited patiently as he casually watched the wandering feet of his female genin-mate below the raised door. As her garments poured down around her, several ever-wandering thoughts entered his mind. 'Hyuga Hinata...'

While undressing, Hinata was pressed by the bewitching quiet, wondering thoughts of her beloved companion. Silently activating her byakugan, the self-conscious Hyuga noticed that her blonde team mate was staring boldly about her feet as her clothes fell around her ankles. She wondered to herself curiously, thinking about it for a moment longer. The heiress answered her own question as a suspicious grin lifted her face.

Stepping from behind the beige door, Hinata made a slight curtsy with a gesture toward her entirety.

"Woah," Naruto let out quietly, partially stunned as he regarded her excellent figure.

Made of scarlet silk, the kunoichi's first dress exposed her shoulders and back by hanging around her neck. Coming down the center of her bust, the two folds covered her round breasts, cupping them up slightly to hold them in place. The right part of the two segments flowed under the left fold; a theme of the outfit as the left segment continues with the wavy seam down her belly then over her right hip and behind her with the opposite half flowing under. The dress wears closely around the midsection, similar to a forgiving girdle. Framing her hips, the dress draped to the floor stopping just above her ankles with a slit that opened from high on her left hip toward the front for movement. A daring ensemble for the moderately bashful woman.

"Do you like it? I have matching hairstyles, shoes and earrings to complement each outfit. But that's too much right now," she finished with a small laugh.

"I love it! You have two more to show me?" Naruto asked with eagerness. He cringed internally at subtle awkwardness about his thoughtful wanders, praising the heavens as his clear-eyed compatriot showed no notice.

"Yes sir," Hinata answered with a restrained smile, pleased by his apparent interest.

"How's this your least favorite one? It's a killer outfit, ya know?" he wondered, surprised by her attitude about the stunning piece.

"I just think the other two might be better!" she returned in hard-earned confidence, looking downward at the enveloping red.

"Well you already look gorgeous! I'm excited to see the other two on you if this one is your last pick," Naruto approved with a wide grin, crossing his arms as he settled against the wall.

"Well thank you Naruto-kun," Hinata responded softly as she looked away. Quickly glancing back, she was stifled by the unwavering eye-contact that ensued between her and the man she desired.

"Well come on Hyuga-donno," Naruto joked, making a pushing gesture, "let's see the rest!"

"Oh! Of course, I'll be right out," Hinata replied, swiftly snapping out of her trance, returning to the changing room and sliding the bamboo screen closed as her face grew red. 'Naruto said I was _gorgeous_...' she thought to herself as she changed into her next outfit with renewed excitement.

Approaching the sliding door a minute later, Hinata was hesitant to emerge.

"You okay Hinata-chan?" the Uzumaki asked, noticing her delay.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just don't know about this one. It's tied with my first I think, but for different reasons," Hinata responded, trailing off at the end. "I guess you could say it's a bit more…reserved."

"I'm up for it if you are," Naruto informed her patiently.

'Bless your heart Naruto. Alright, if he approved of my first dress I think he'll like this one as well.' Sliding the door open, Hinata revealed herself once more to the apprehensive blonde.

A bright smile across Naruto's complexion removed the doubt from Hinata's mind.

This loose, heavy dress reminiscent of a ceremonial gown hung over her shoulders with overlapping pieces making a v-neck above her hidden bosom. The smooth, classic-styled dress fully covered Hinata's bust, wrapping around her chest nicely. The unique kimono was a bright lavender, boasting a two inch white border. The overlapping folds tightened at the top and bottom of the abdomen. Loose, elegant sleeves concealed her hands from view as the dress streamed from her waist to touch the floor. A design of thin, white curling vines accented the graceful dress.

"Oh wow," Naruto admired in astonishment, leaning to the side as he studied her. "Hah, you look so royal- kind of like an empress!"

"Why thank you. I enjoy this one very much. It feels so regal and fancy but I don't want people to think I'm a bore," Hinata admitted, shifting nervously.

"I believe our friends will be too busy admiring you to think of anything else," Naruto assured proudly. The blonde thought to himself momentarily, acknowledging a certain feeling creeping up on him that he was not familiar with. At least not with one of his friends from Team 7.

"Well thank you for the vote of confidence!" Hinata bowed with renewed conviction, holding her hands behind her back. "Now I'm really anxious to show you the last one! I'm sure you'll love it. Be right back!" she finished as she casually turned on her heel, returning to her changing room. The kunoichi felt emboldened and sure of herself, something she no loger considered rare, but had to acknowledge mentally to keep from slipping back into her shy habits every now and then.

"Are you prepared Naruto-kun?" the sensor kunoichi asked from behind the door a minute later.

"Yes I am, Hinata-sama!" the blonde jonin teased excitedly.

Sliding the door over to show herself a final time, she stepped out in a swift stride with a wry smile. Hinata, standing closer to Naruto than before, looked down at him and leaned to the side relaxing her left leg with her hand resting on her hip in a flashy, playful pose.

With widened eyes, Naruto felt his own cheeks flush as that unfamiliar feeling washed through him.

Filling Naruto's immediate perspective were Hinata's toned legs. Her semi-stretchy, tight dress only reached the middle of her thigh; clinging graciously to her curvaceous figure. The sleeveless gown had a closely-worn medium-height collar with a singular button-strap around the neck. Covering her back and shoulders, the dress was black with magenta trim at the top of the neck and openings. Just below the collar was a silver ring opening up the dress in a wide, pointed oval to proudly display her gifted cleavage, joining down on another slightly larger ring at the top of her abdomen that opened up once more to present her toned belly seamlessly closing in a 'V' low on her waist. The dress was divided in color at an upward angle starting from the lower silver ring (top part black, bottom part white). The divide went up below and behind the arm-sockets to then angle down meeting on the back in a point.

"Well are you just going to sit there or are you going to tell me what you think?" Hinata teased familiarly, drawing her team mate back to earth.

"This one," Naruto gestured with a nod, "I loved all three. Every single one is awesome but this one really steals the show," he proclaimed with a grin, still studying her.

'I've never seen Hinata in something like this,' the dumbstruck blonde thought to himself. 'This is just... woah.'

"You think so? Hehe, I guess my decision is made then," Hinata concluded with excitement about the impending event. Turning, she made her way to change back into her regular clothes before commenting from behind the closed door, "I am going to get all three though, just because they're so nice and I don't have a deep closet like Ino-chan."

After Hinata redressed herself into her jonin gear and finished making her purchases, the shinobi duo left the clothing establishment.

"Thanks again for helping me decide for tonight Naruto-kun," the Hyuga remarked gratefully. "I can't wait for tonight!"

"Any time Hinata-chan, that was pretty fun," the Uzumaki stated happily, strolling coolly as passerby occasionally greeted him. "Me neither! We've all gotten so strong over the years - we deserve a big celebration!"

"Agreed! And I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she elated blissfully. "I'm going to go meet up with the others, I guess Sakura wants someone to help do her hair until she finds a style she's happy with."

"Did Ino beg you to help her with that pink hassle?" he asked with a whiskered smirk.

"You guessed it," the white eyed girl giggled as she turned to go gather her friends. "I'll see you tonight Naruto-kun."

"See ya, good luck!" Naruto laughed, turning to go down the road to find his own set of friends. 'Ohh man tonight is going to be interesting.'

Naruto began walking and looked up at the Hokage monument in the distance, as he often did, to find something that was bothering him.

'Hm? What is this strange feeling?' the conditioned ninja wondered. 'It's not dad, that's for sure. What could it be?'

'Hang on. What about that certain Sarutobi, being sneaky and shit,' he recalled, thinking back to earlier in the day. 'Guess I never did find out why he was using henge to spy on me.'

'Oh well,' the jinchuuriki finished with a shrug. 'He's not going anywhere. I guess I'll find out eventually.'

 **End**

* * *

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	3. Elite Smackdown

**3**

 **-Elite Smackdown-**

* * *

 **Post-Shower Scene; Uzumaki District**

Naruto and Sakura made their way out of his house on the family's estate, down the road and onto the main streets of Konoha. The two elites had gotten ready without a word and left in a similar manner. It was not an uncomfortable silence. At least for Sakura. Naruto was still unsure of what to think or feel. Both elites were dressed back into their ninja attire.

Sakura's jonin outfit from the bottom up consists of knee-high black combat boots and a ninja-tool pouch taped to her right thigh. Above her toolset she wears skin-tight black shorts with mesh armor covering her midsection that leads up to her small black tank-top. Over all of this Sakura wears a simple, thin, side-less jacket that covers her front and back and falls passed her shorts a few inches. The poncho-like cover is a light red with white-silver trim and three matching circles on the front after the v-neck with four on the back. She also sports matching colored elbow-covers plus black, fingerless gloves. Sakura wears her red Konoha headband tied on top of her head to style her shoulder-length hair and bangs that frame her face. Finally, in the center of her forehead is a small green diamond.

"I feel weird. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but my head feels better." Sakura remarked with her eyes closed, rubbing her temples again. "I feel more clarity now than from this morning."

"You think so?" Naruto asked getting flashbacks of the past twelve hours.

"Yeah, because I'm starting to feel the regret." she explained in thought, not meaning for her comment to sound rude. "I still can't tell what memories are real or not. It's all a bit disorienting."

'She's gonna use the " _It's all because of the intoxication_ " excuse huh…' the young agent thought dejectedly, feeling an uncomfortable tug in his abdomen.

"Konohamaru has been an ass with his pranks before, but disrupting everyone's night during such an important event of ours is over the line." the black cloaked man stated, moving on. "If it were something small that only included me I wouldn't mind as much. But he screwed with you too and lord only knows who else fell prey to his stupidity."

"We still had fun though, before we all got to the drinks. Besides…now we're a little closer." the powerful kunoichi replied coolly, teasing the poor boy. "Although I do feel like somebody should get him back."

"Yeah, it wasn't so bad right?" the spikey haired man replied with a low chuckle. "I agree. You can sit this one out though, that midget is mine."

"Don't be so self-conscious Naruto-kun. Besides, I know how you feel about me now." Sakura giggled, giving him a taunting, half-lidded glance.

"Hey, don't get so full of yourself!" Naruto stammered in defense, backpedaling on his prior attitude. "I just crushed on you during the academy. That's it!"

"Ohh, whatever you say. Either or that all stays between us." she warned, gesturing behind her. "I don't mind discussing it once we get this all figured out. But one word to anybody about this, any kind of hint to _anyone_ and you are a dead man." the pink-clad kunoichi threatened as she tightened her fists, not withholding a single gram of killing intent from Naruto as she got her point across. "Got it?"

"Y-yes ma'am." Naruto gulped with a sweatdrop.

"Good boy!" Sakura patronized, patting his spiky yellow head; suddenly full of sunshine and butterflies.

"Heh, okay." he muttered with a blank expression, dryly catching her hand in an inescapable grip. "Kiba may like that, but that won't fly with me." he threatened, letting a rush of his own murderous resolve pour over Sakura in return. "Got it?"

"Got it…" a stunned kunoichi whispered with her own sweatdrop. 'Naruto's scary...'

"Good girl." Naruto chided, mimicking her three sixty from a moment before.

'Now he's being hypocritical…' Sakura thought to herself in a pout.

"Well Sakura-chan, this is where I leave you." the determined Uzumaki announced, punching his palm. "I gotta find a certain chunin to put the hurt on."

"Oh okay Naruto-kun." the medic ninja allowed as they brought to a stop. "You know where he is?"

"Well I've known him for what, about eight years now? I know some of his habits. I also know from experience that he's ballsy enough to not stray from them for long to hide from the repercussions of his antics. Either way, I'll find him soon." Naruto concluded with a small nod, a passionate fortitude in his eyes.

"Yosh, good luck Naruto-kun!" Sakura awarded, giving him a hug under his arms before quickly running off with a wave. "I'm going to visit my parents! I haven't seen them in a while because of my mission and then the party right after, so. Byee!"

"Alright, goodbye Sakura-chaan!" he shouted, waving her off.

Turning on his heels the expert agent looked up at the Hokage monument in the distance, focusing on his father's bust. Smiling in acknowledgement, Naruto vanished from sight in a soft flicker of blue light.

 **Local Hotsprings**

"Ahhhhhh…" a boy sighed within the thick steam of Konoha's luxurious, natural springs.

*indistinct noise*

"…"

*blip ( _faint energy rippling through time and space sound_ )*

"…"

*blip*

"...?"

*blip*

"Hm?" the brunette ninja cracked open an eye in the hot, foggy air. "What's that?"

* _blip_ *

"Huh? Oh wait, I know that sou-"

" **I GOT YOU MOTHERFUCKER!** " a rasengan-wielding shinobi crashed down onto his vulnerable prey, sending up a torrent of water into the air. Appearing several meters away, a shocked teenager stood covering his manhood with a towel.

"Holy shit Naruto!" a mortified chunin blurted out, eyes wide as he located his attacker on the roof above him. "You almost fucking killed me!"

"Obviously not Kono-baka, since you used kawarimi (substitution jutsu)." an angry jonin stated blandly. Still, he couldn't help but smirk. "You know if I wanted you dead we wouldn't be talking."

Feeling the full heat of Naruto's palpable rage, Konohamaru did what most successful shinobi do in the face of great power that is seemingly insurmountable.

Attack them _head on_.

Leaping into the air with his own rasengan in palm, Konohamaru attempted a preemptive strike. Surely a suicide attempt against a shinobi of the jinchuuriki's caliber, he did however have an advantage over his elder. He was in the nude due to relaxing in the refreshing waters of Konoha's hotsprings. Naruto wanted no part in any of that, but the jonin was not defeated yet.

A lone shuriken flew toward Konohamaru with blinding speed. However, this particular metal star is unique and doesn't abide by the standards of the commonly used projectile. The weapon boasts dual prongs that curve smoothly, unlike the four-bladed stars that are common. This design makes the shuriken lighter with enhanced spin, speed and surface area of its central ring; which is encased in paper. Covering much of the paper's surface are a swirling series of meticulously written symbols of the fuinjutsu (sealing technique) variety.

'What?! He didn't even move!' Konohamaru thought as the weapon whizzed passed his right bicep. 'Wha- he missed? Speed is worthless without accuracy, idiot!'

In a spark of blue, Naruto vanished from sight. Appearing behind Konohamaru in a flicker, Naruto immediately slapped the chunin's spine in between his shoulder blades with an open palm and kicked him in the lower back, hurling him into the water.

Quickly recovering, Konohamaru laughed and jumped out onto the surface of the water to face the blonde. "You're fast, but your aim is garbage Naru-dweeb. I was right in front of your face!"

"Done?" Naruto asked, arms folded across his chest as he stood on the roof above his 'opponent'; fire emblazoned cloak billowing in the wind.

"Done?! I'm just getting warmed uh-"

*blip*

…

 **Uzumaki District; Training Field**

…

*blip*

"Uhhhp…" Konohamaru stammered, highly disoriented.

"What the hell?" he asked aloud, unaware of where he currently sat. Oddly enough, aside from the sudden teleportation, he was now dressed in pants commonly associated with jonin upon his transmission.

*blip*

Naruto appeared closely behind Konohamaru in the midst of a swinging, horizontal right kick that connected with the younger ninja square in the back of the head. Launching the teen thirty meters, Naruto landed and watched with pleasure as his 'rival' finally hit the ground spinning and tumbling.

Skidding to a stop on his face, Konohamaru could barely understand the concept of direction. Grunting and groaning, he stumbled to his hands and knees.

"Oh, that's it…" the pained boy muttered, loud enough for his superior to hear.

"What's that? You want me to ask Hanabi if she'll attend your funeral?" the Uzumaki goaded with a smirk, standing in the most casual manner; arms behind his head as he turned to walk away. "I'll be sure to run it by her."

Annoyed at having his ass handed to him on a giftwrapped silver platter, Konohamaru stood and used shunshin to close the distance. Landing behind Naruto in a blur, he prepared a rasengan in each hand. The young Sarutobi quickly thrust both torrents of chakra forward into Naruto's back in a brazen attempt to deal damage.

Much to his satisfaction, Naruto yelled out in pain before disappointing him by bursting into a gust of wind that blew Konohamaru back while slicing his skin with dozens of shallow cuts from wind chakra.

'What?' the Sarutobi teen thought as he recovered in midair, landing on his feet.

"Oi." the orginal Naruto barked from behind him.

"What the hell was that?" the pissed brunette questioned.

"Kaze bunshin no jutsu (wind clone jutsu)!" the Uzumaki answered with pride. "Like it? Adds a bit more umf to the dispel-"

"Are you just going to keep running away and talking or are you going to shutup, man-up and fight me?" Konohamaru shouted in irritation, hands together as he charged chakra.

"There's nothing here to fight!" the jonin chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye as he refrained from hysterical laughter.

"I'll show _you_ bitch!" the chunin challenged with raised fists.

"No please. Allow _me_." Naruto taunted, throwing a wide spray of shuriken into the air directly above them.

Running through three hand seals in a blur, "Futon: Ono Toppu no jutsu (Wind Style: Axe Gust Jutsu)!" the jinchuuriki slashed in opposite directions with each hand and cut an "X" into the ground a couple meters from where he stood.

"Oh no, I won't let you set something up! Katon: Kakou no jutsu (Fire Style: Flame Spout Jutsu)!" a gush of thick flames spewed out from Konohamaru's maw over his left hand seal.

"Watch your step." the blonde warned, unflinching as the surge of fire seemed to engulf him.

The instant the fire jutsu hit Naruto, Konohamaru found himself teleported into the sky at the arc of the highest shuriken. Belly up in the air, Konohamaru saw an abrupt shadow appear above him that revealed an axe-kick to the stomach which sent him careening toward the earth. His desent was suddenly halted by an uppercut into his back from below him. Naruto had teleported under Konohamaru to stop his deathly fall with another attack.

Working through the pain, Konohamaru turned in the air to throw several kicks at the jonin underneath. Instead, he connected with nothing but wind as Naruto reappeared a short distance above him once more.

"Futon: Kyu basuto no jutsu (Wind Style: Sphere Burst Jutsu)!" Naruto released a shockwave at Konohamaru. Hitting him as if the air were a boulder, the chunin was rocketed toward the "X" in the ground where inches before hitting the mark he disappeared.

Rematerializing not a second later, Konohamaru found himself being cradled in the arms of his rival, standing dead center at the intersection of the wind-slashed target.

"What…" the woozy and wounded chunin asked. "What _are_ you?"

"Heh, I'm Uzumaki Naruto the Sage! Son of the Fourth Hokage, heir to my clan and jonin-elite jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi!" the fired up ninja announced proudly, "and I'm the guy you _pissed off_!"

Konohamaru fell to the ground unceremoniously as Naruto teleported away. Looking up, the Sarutobi caught a sample of Naruto's arsenal.

The Uzumaki sat with his hands on his knees in a squat atop a summoned creature a ways across the training field. An army of his clones stood in organized rows behind him. Every individual Naruto wielded a tightly condensed rasenshuriken (wind style jutsu - spiraling shuriken) in each palm.

" **Naruto-san. Why have you summoned me here?** " the enormous fox-summon questioned in a deep, smooth voice that resonated loudly throughout the expansive field." **This whelp cannot possibly be the only opponent you are facing.** "

This trans-dimensional being was steel-blue with a white underbelly and piercing light-violet eyes with currently vertical pupils. Black fur surrounded his eyes and mouth, with the pitch fur also covering the tips of his pointed ears and bushy tail. Similar in size to Gamabunta, this muscular but lean fox wore a white sash tied around the base of his left ear that bore the kanji for _'sleep'_ on it in red.

"Chill Suterusu." Naruto insisted casually, now sitting with his legs and arms crossed in between the triangular ears. "I wanted to demonstrate some of my strength to the boy who pulled the wrong prank on me and my friends. A bit overkill, but I think he's getting the message."

" **Ohh?** " an intrigued behemoth chuckled, slowly taking steps toward the petrified ninja below. " **Come to think of it Naruto-sann, I haven't eaten this morning.** " the lithe creature taunted slowly, letting out a low gekker.

'Dead. Dead, I'm dead.' the horrified Sarutobi clan member thought in what seemed to be his final moments of life.

" **Heheh- ohh… I guess I won't get the chance to eat yet.** " Suterusu announced, noticing another presence before baring his teeth at Konohamaru. " **You're lucky.** "

"Naruto." a calm but strong voice called out.

Looking toward the new-comer, Naruto halted his advance with a raised fist.

"Dad?" the jonin asked in surprise, eyes locked on a white caped figure equally emblazoned with fire.

"Naruto, what are you and Sarutobi-san doing?" the Hokage asked with a casual look before addressing one of his son's strongest summoning animals. "Hello Suterusu-donno."

" **Hello, Hokage-sama.** " the fox replied with a graceful bow of his mighty head.

"Well we- " Naruto started.

"This is my fault Hokage-sama." Konohamaru admitted, interrupting and surprising Naruto before he was engulfed in an enormous plume of white smoke as all of his clones and Suterusu dispelled.

"Oh?" Minato questioned with a grin, giving the young chunin his full attention. "Is that so? Well would you mind telling me what you did to make my son call on his fox?"

"Oh, well…" Konohamaru stammered nervously, unsure of how to explain. "Naruto-oniisan err-, your son is my rival. He's an obstacle I have to overcome if I can hope to become the Fifth Hokage."

Minato waited patiently for him to continue, Naruto having joined him by his left side.

"So I thought it would be a good show of skill if I could bypass a party full of top-notch ninja and not only slip them an 'affection-formula' but also set them under a genjutsu without their notice." he continued, looking down in shame as he explained.

"Now how exactly did you accomplish that?" the blue-eyed leader of Konoha inquired curiously.

"Well I was doing genjutsu training with Obito-sensei. We were working so I could better understand and defend myself more thoroughly; I kind of suck at it. Anyway, he taught me well in the time he spared me, and I learned pretty fast. So I figured why not put my hard work to the test by creating my own jutsu to use on all of the jonin and chunin attending that big party. It's a simple technique… an amateur genjutsu that would go unnoticed because of how little it affects the targets."

"So you used your genjutsu to complement the spiked drinks?" Naruto surmised in a dull tone, resting his arms over his chest

"Yeah, Hanshoku Mochibeshon no jutsu (Love Inspiration Jutsu) just gives the nudge. It's based off of the naturally physical desire to breed so the spiked drinks just helped to impair judgement…" the young Sarutobi elaborated disgracefully.

"Imp." Naruto insulted lowly, shaking his head. "How did you cast it on all of us? No woman that attractive goes unnoticed, by the way." the disgruntled man commented, remembering the obscenely beautiful stranger who relieved the original bartender that night. "I felt something was wrong when the first woman switched out as you basically used your oiroke no jutsu (sexy jutsu) but with clothes. You only got away with that because we were all too busy enjoying ourselves."

"Hmph. Physical contact… that's how it's casted. It's so weak and uses so little chakra that it was easy to use over and over. Like I said, it's very D-rank. All I had to do was touch you or your drinks to induce you with the chakra." the prankster finished awkwardly.

"You filthy- " the Hokage's heir grumbled under his breath, tensing up from his mostly unresolved anger that was swiftly boiling back up.

"Be still." Minato calmed his son, rustling his identically spikey blonde hair with his palm. 'Such a hot temper. Just like your mother.'

Sighing lightheartedly as he walked over to the youngest Sarutobi, Minato turned him over and put his left hand on his back. With his right hand the Hokage made a tairitsu (confrontation) hand-sign. Activating chakra, he dispelled a short series of markings that had been on Konohamaru's back between his shoulder blades.

"There, now Naruto can no longer instantly get to you or transport you." Minato informed with a chuckle, stepping back into his previous position. "Until he tags you again that is."

"Tag me? What did you…* _flashback_ * oh." Konohamaru muttered as he came to the correct conclusion, remembering his uncle Asuma explaining a part of how Minato is near-instantaneously quick. "Fuuinjutsu (sealing jutsu). At the hotsprings?"

"Yep." the prank victim answered with a smirk, rubbing his nose haughtily. "It was check-mate from the get-go."

"Shutup Naru-dweeb!" Konohamaru exclaimed disdainfully, crossing his arms in frustration. "I was just getting started."

"Huh? _Start_ ed?" Naruto jeered, laughing at the thought. "You never even touched me Kono-baka."

"That's enough." the Yellow Flash stated with a wave, receiving the younger boy's full attention. "I'm sure Sarutobi-san knows that this ends here. Right, Konohamaru?" he asked with a closed-eyed smile.

"Yes Hokage-sama." the village-named boy replied stiffly.

"Good. Because if you falter you will never take a mission above D rank again." Minato warned coolly, lending him a deadpan stare.

"Yes Hokage-sama." the teen answered rigidly again, shrinking at the prospect before taking his leave. Before departing, Konohamaru gave Naruto a deep bow, "I am sorry Naruto-oniisan, it will never happen again."

"Alright Konohamaru." Naruto sighed biting his tongue, obeying his paternal figure. "Get going."

With that, the dark haired chunin departed after a nod.

"Well Naruto," Minato sighed, addressing his oldest child, "what became of your evening yesterday since I don't believe that it went as planned?"

"I uh…don't really want to talk about that Dad." Naruto admitted with a hint of blush. "It's embarrassing."

"That's okay, just keep in mind that you were tampered with. I don't believe that you're entirely to blame for your actions." Minato insisted as they walked toward the center of the village. "Why don't you ask your Yamanaka friend for help in restoring your real memories?"

"Ino-chan? Yeah you know what, she probably could do that." Naruto replied gratefully, throwing an arm over his father. "But wait, won't she see the stuff I don't even want to discuss?"

"Yes, but she's also an interrogator. She's seen a lot in her position, and I'm confident that she can handle helping you in a mature and undisclosed manner." the wise father explained with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." the jinchuuriki mumbled in thought, remembering Sakura's threat. "Well then I know where I'm headed off to next! By the way, what are you doing here? Aren't you busy today?"

"Yes, but Suterusu's voice was quite loud. I wasn't able to make out what he was saying, but as Hokage I cannot rightfully sit down and do paperwork when one of my son's top summons has been called upon." Konoha's leader illuminated, pulling his son in.

"Ohh right…my bad." the fox sage confessed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I was just going for a bit of intimidation."

"You don't think teleporting him to a new location to be switched out with the special tag-shuriken you threw and beaten up in midair wasn't intimidating enough?" Minato asked with a laugh.

"He deserved it." Naruto stated simply.

"Is that so?" the Hokage asked with a raised eye brow, grinning at his son's affirmative expression.

"Absolutely." the young jonin replied solidly.

"Then I trust your judgement." Minato allowed with a chuckle.

"Thanks dad," he thanked happily as they made their way back home. "I love you."

"I love you too son." he replied, holding Naruto tighter.

 **End**

* * *

 **Keep it real.**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	4. Sparring Partner

**4**

 **-Sparring Partner-**

* * *

 **Konoha; Early Afternoon**

Having left his clan's training field with his father after a tussle involving Sarutobi Konohamaru, Naruto was strolling through his home village in a lazy quest.

'Hmm, I shouldn't bother Sakura about it at her home. It's only been two hours since we split up anyway, that isn't gonna be enough time for her.' the blue eyed bachelor pondered as he sauntered calmly along with hands buried in his pockets; cloak whipping up in the wind behind him. 'But I really wanna see if Ino will help straighten out my memories. I'm sure Sakura would also like to know what really went down…'

"… _one word to anybody about this, any kind of hint to anyone and you are a dead man…_ " Sakura's voice echoed through Naruto's mind, sending a small shiver down his spine.

'I really don't want to have to deal with all of that though. Why does Sakura have to take after Tsunade-sama so much?' Naruto thought to himself with a squint, insignificant curiosity sprouting briefly. 'It's like they're related or something.'

Walking in thought for a while longer, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki found himself at his old training grounds during his time as a genin in Team Kakashi with Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata.

'I haven't trained with Kakashi in a while. I don't think he's on a mission. Plus it's Sunday so maybe he'd be down for a bit of a workout?' the blonde thought to himself hopefully, narrowing down his wandering search. 'I could use a good brawl against somebody who can really dish out a beating. So where is that legendary ' _Inventor Ninja_ '?'

 **Jonin Training Grounds**

"Oh let up already! No, for the last time I won't read a single one of your stupid books." a certified babe exclaimed in mock annoyance. "Yeah, " _Make Out Series_ ", I get it. It's just a sex book you moron."

"Anko, these novels are exquisite literature. It's all about the chase. It's about the romance, and the fights, and the break ups, and the equally interesting make ups…" a white-haired shinobi spoke indolently in the grass under the shade of a tree, trailing off with a content sigh as he lay on his side with his right hand propping his masked head up. "You wouldn't understand."

"You're right, I wouldn't! I know damn well what I want, and I take it without a second guess." she replied with an evocative smirk, laying on her back while violently spinning a kunai; facing upward at her white-haired friend. "Exquisite though… really? Hahah whatever you say loser. Why can't you read some other genre like action or mystery? Or even something intellectual like math or science."

"Why would I stray from what I like? No, I think I'll stick with Icha-Icha." Kakashi concluded closing his hobby with a thump. "I wonder if I should stop being lazy today. Actually I have recently finished fleshing out an interesting new technique that I developed. I did want to see how well it works in congruence with taijutsu."

"Well don't look at me for a sparring partner. It's my day off." Anko denied, sticking her tongue at her colleague.

Kakashi casually rolled his eyes then swiftly stood up. 'I could definitely count on Naruto to spar with me. I bet Sasuke would want to see this too if he wasn't busy working on that team.' he thought to himself as he languidly looked out onto the low-hanging sun.

"Huh? What is _that_ , Kakashi-kun?" the purple-eyed kunoichi asked, pointing a kunai-free finger at a horse-sized fox that was quickly crossing the field towards them.

"That's most likely one of Naruto's summons." Kakashi answered as the large being arrived. "Hello, I assume that Naruto has sent you?"

"Yes, Kakashi-san. Naruto-sama asked me to assist him on his search for you. He's agitated, and wanted to spend less time looking and more time fighting. He would like to do battle with you." the elegant white fox informed with a kind bow of her head. "My name is Suifuto, if you require additional information."

"Well it's nice to meet you Suifuto-san. This is remarkably convenient seeing as I was just wondering about finding a sparring partner. Where is Naruto now?" Kakashi inquired plainly.

Blinking her blood-red eyes, the summoned beast politely responded. "Just a moment Kakashi-san," the fox said as she turned her head to reveal a series of symbols behind her left ear. Suifuto then activated her chakra to the switching seal and disappeared in a flash of light.

Appearing in her place was a frustrated, whisker-faced shinobi.

"…and I was just wondering if you had seen- ah! Finally. Kakashi-senpai, I'm assuming you know- " the interrupted ninja cut off.

"That you are more than willing to be my sparring partner today?" Kakashi interrupted with a chuckle. "Yes, your lovely fox informed me about your need to let off steam." he finished with a smile behind his mask, unfazed by the teleportation aspect of the fuinjutsu (sealing jutsu) Naruto mastered; fully living up to his mother's Uzumaki clan name who were famous for their absolute mastery of the techniques.

"Fantastic, so I guess we were on the same page then?" Naruto asked, getting a nod out of his old team leader.

"Yes. I recently created a new jutsu which has interesting taijutsu applications that I wanted to put into practice. Are you ready to go immediately?" Kakashi summed up and asked with a hint of eagerness.

"Hell yeah man. Konohamaru really pissed me off, and dad stopped me from really letting loose on him." the blonde admitted with a grin in anticipation. "I'm just glad I am able to help you too, and I don't have to feel selfish about it."

"Good I'm glad you're excited. But first, I'd like to demonstrate and explain. Just to get the questions I know you're going to ask out of the way so we can get right to combat." the ex-Anbu stated, grabbing his right wrist.

"I understand. Do your thing Kakashi-senpai." Naruto allowed with a nod.

Acknowledging Naruto, Kakashi then looked down at his open palm. "Chidori (one thousand birds)," the white haired jonin activated his chakra, manipulating its form and adding the lightning element to activate a flood of screaming electricity that wrapped around his hand and wrist; his first original jutsu.

"You see, I was doing some training and happened to activate my chidori at a point. I then had an idea: what would it be like to try and spread the jutsu over my whole body. But when I started to do so I realized through a painful trial and error that controlling the precise form of chakra like a cloak proved too difficult for me to pull off." Kakashi explained, releasing the jutsu. "For now at least."

Looking down at his hand again, Kakashi activated his chakra and manipulated its form again but this time adding the fire element instead of lightning. "Jigoku-yashi (infernal palm)." His hand burst into a roaring surge of fire similar to the chidori in style; the thick flames licking outward akin to the way that the electricity whips.

"Woah, isn't that burning you?" Naruto asked casually, surprised but confident in his old teacher's judgement and abilities.

"No. At first it did a bit, but that was until I fine-tuned the manipulation of chakra during its casting. If you expel the chakra fast enough and above the surface of your skin it allows the heat to be expelled outward; as it should be. Now while I prefer chidori to jigoku-yashi in combat, this fire release jutsu definitely has potential. Observe," he finished, cutting off the technique.

This time Kakashi proficiently went through fourteen hand-seals (slowly enough to easily see which seals were being used; for Naruto's educational benefit), summoning the required chakra, "Katon: Choshinsei no jutsu (Fire Release: Supernova jutsu)!" A moment after activation a transparent blue shimmer of flame enveloped the expert jonin.

Naruto watched as Kakashi held the technique, "This is how it starts. This alone takes copious amounts of concentration. I have to focus on chakra manipulation across every inch of my body. I've been training for five months now, so I can fight freely and still sustain it. I now have it down to where I don't have to focus as hard on releasing it from my entire person." he explained with a hushed, warped voice.

"Wow Kakashi, that's so cool!" Naruto said with a gleam in his eyes; he usually got this way when one of his idols showed him a new technique. "So because you're superheated every punch and kick will burn your opponent!"

"Exactly Naruto," the older ninja affirmed with a smile, "but please jump back. This isn't the limit of the Choshinsei!"

As Naruto followed directions, Kakashi's chakra spiked abruptly; the hazy blue flame cloak erupting into a yellow-red inferno that engulfed the onyx-eyed man.

Naruto had taken a leap back and put 15 meters between him and his to-be opponent. The heatwave that permeated off from Choshinsei was still a force in and of itself, stinging the blonde boys' skin. Gradually the flames that enveloped Kakashi were tamed to merely silhouette him.

"What do you think Naruto? Are you ready to fight?" the legendary man questioned with a smirk under the feature-obscuring inferno.

"Oh man, that's so awesome!" the giddy jinchuuriki exclaimed excitedly, clenched fists raised in delight. "I'm ready. Let's go!"

"Wait, please strictly stick to taijutsu and defensive ninjutsu similar in style to this technique as we fight. Any bunshin no jutsu (clone jutsu) is fine by me. I want to exercise my taijutsu aptitude while under the stress of Choshinsei. Understand what I mean?" the flaming shinobi asked in a slightly distorted voice, eliciting a nod from his old subordinate. "Good. After this, we can spar how you like. Anko." Kakashi called expectantly.

"Yes!" the spiky haired woman replied getting off her shapely behind, grinning as she understood her unspoken role on the field as a referee. "Get ready nerds! On your mark… get set… GO!"

In a scorching blur Kakashi flew forth, the blonde sprinting toward him in kind. In the moments too quick to be followed by most bystanders, Kakashi's right fist closed in on his old students' jaw. Countering the punch with his left forearm, Naruto moved his currently burning appendage outward with an over-under move that locked Kakashi's arm under the blondes', with the back of his fist flat on Kakashi's right armpit/pectoral.

'Holy-bitch! Damnit ow, shit!' Naruto's brained screamed out in pain at the near 3rd degree burns he was subjecting himself to. 'Fuck- this better work!'

Before Naruto could tag Kakashi with a certain fuinjutsu, the black-eyed ninja brutally kneed him in the gut while simultaneously increasing the intensity of the flames around him.

The burning knee hit a clone that Naruto used kawarimi on, which caused it to burst in a gush of wind-blades and smoke. The sudden release of wind chakra caused Kakashi to involuntarily erupt in an explosion, sending him into the ground harshly.

After hitting the earth face up, Kakashi recovered with a quick backflip. In an instant his vision was met with a trio of Narutos.

The blonde to his left threw a jab kick at his ribs; mirroring the Naruto at his right. Jumping backwards to avoid the symmetrical assault, Kakashi hopped into the air and threw a fiery double kick up at the middle clone that was thrown at him by the other Naruto replicas. The first kick hit its outstretched arm to counter the punch with the second of the kicks catching him under the chin, causing the regular clone to dispel.

Kakashi didn't have enough time to descend before another appeared behind him, landing two powerful uppercuts into his left kidney. Turning, he caught the younger ninja in the face with a back-elbow that set him on fire until the kaze bunshin burst. The dispelling of wind chakra ignited the fire and caused another explosion that sent Kakashi careening forward.

Meanwhile the original Naruto had thrown a special shuriken above where Kakashi would be in a moment. Once he switched with the weapon in the air, he threw another tagged shuriken downward that would intersect with Kakashi's trajectory.

In the blink of an eye Naruto appeared above the launched Kakashi in a crouch, violently stomping both of his feet down on the ninja's chest. The force of the impact created a reasonably small crater just under a dozen meters in diameter.

Having made too much contact with Kakashi, a burned jinchuuriki leapt away from the flaming indentation. 'Damnit. Every physical attack I land is only a half-victory. This would be different if I could use ninjutsu, however Choshinsei is still a bitch of a taijutsu buff to deal with. Plus I'm pretty sure he's been holding back.'

"Naruto, I think that's good for now." Kakashi's normal voice stated from behind him.

"Yep, the fight's off you jerks! So says ref Anko!" the exuberant female exclaimed loudly, looking awfully proud of herself.

"What, when did you…" Naruto asked as he turned to face his elders, recalling when Kakashi exploded due to his kaze bunshin. "So you used the wind clone detonation to counter with a clone of your own? Nice work Kakashi-senpai. And shutup windmill-head." he teased, causing the woman to smirk and raise a single special finger.

"Exactly, eheh. I'm sure glad that I did. That stomp you gave my clone would have done some terrible damage." Kakashi admitted, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Hah, well I gotta do what I gotta do without ninjutsu…" Naruto explained with a sheepish laugh. "But back to your original point, that jutsu really is a force to be reckoned with. It's demoralizing when every hit you land hurts you back."

"I'm glad it's not just an aesthetic technique, because it's exhausting." Kakashi confessed with a chuckle. "Well it's your turn right? What did you want to do?"

"Honestly I'm good. Apparently getting burned nice and crispy was just what I needed to cut the edge off of my foul mood." the burnt Uzumaki explained, rubbing his head with a closed-eyed grin. "I've got plans to catch up with the guys."

"Ohh, speaking of which; why were you upset? I know your mother's famous temper was passed down to you, but you're usually able to manage well." Kakashi asked curiously, watching as the inquiry furrowed Naruto's brow.

"Sarutobi Kono-baka." a grumpy blonde answered slowly, with light malice. "The bastard terrorized our party from the shadows. He raised mischief in my department at least. After I heal up I'm gonna bathe and head downtown; see what my friends got into that night."

"Ahh, Sarutobi-san. He sometimes reminds me of you." Kakashi confessed thoughtfully, ignoring a heated glare. "Well. Anko and I were going to call it a day soon anyways. I'm leading a reconnaissance mission in the Land of Iron. I want to leave early in the morning for a head start of sorts."

"Anything I need to be informed on?" the blue eyed genius asked with peaked interest.

"No. If it turns out to be anything substantial, rest easy knowing I'll keep you in the loop." the masked elite ensured, brushing battle-soil from his Konoha flak jacket.

"Sounds good, talk to you soon Kakashi." Naruto accepted with a tired wave as he took his leave toward home.

"See you soon Naruto." Kakashi replied as he and Anko departed likewise.

 **With Naruto; Walking home**

'Man I spent a lot of chakra for a Sunday off.' Naruto thought to himself in amusement as he recalled the events of the past twenty four hours. 'That Konohamaru… what a punk.'

Focusing as he walked, Naruto increased the flow of his chakra alongside that of the Kyuubi's to quicken the healing process of the burns and regeneration of the skin.

After a time of walking in thought, the healing shadow soldier was amidst the mellow Sunday night restaurant crowd.

"Naruto-san." a pleasant male voice called out.

"Oh, Itachi-senpai!" Naruto replied, happily surprised. "What are you up to tonight? It's been months since I've seen you. Your brother has been pretty scarce as well."

"I've been enjoying my evening with Shisui." Itachi gestured to his closest friend, who smiled pleasantly and gave Naruto a sociable wave. "The three of us have been busy… Speaking of Sasuke, he's tasked me with delivering a message should I encounter you."

"Hey Shisui-san! What's the message?" Naruto asked bewilderedly, watching Itachi's amicable yet placid visage closely.

"He wanted you to consult Hyuga Hinata. He said he would inform you on the details tonight if you didn't make it to her before you and your friends meet." Itachi delivered as he observed the Uzumaki's expression warp perplexedly.

"Sasuke says I should go talk to Hinata-chan huh. If he's telling me to see her then it's probably important. What could it be?" the jonin asked himself in apprehension.

"I'm not sure Naruto. I'd like for you to stay and talk with us but I believe it's best if you confront your friend." the sharingan master offered with concern.

"I agree, thanks Itachi." the worried agent replied, quickly taking his leave.

'Should I get cleaned up first?' Naruto thought to himself as he made his way through the evening crowd. 'No. If it's important I don't want it to wait.'

Naruto picked up the pace, making his way to the Hyuga compound in a light jog.

'Could this be about the party? Did I do something stupid? I still can't remember most of that night. Damn it.'

Passing one of the area's fences, Naruto caught a woman's silhouette a block down one of the walk ways.

Naruto caught up with the woman after a few moments. "Hey Hina- oh! Hey there, Hanabi-chan."

"Naruto-kun, hi!" the lovely young Hyuga greeted in surprise. "I'm going to guess you weren't looking for me?"

Having spent some time over the years with Hanabi, Naruto had grown fond of his teammates' little sister. She was a regal young Hyuga heiress, and under her formalities she had a delightfully bright personality. Being familiar with the younger girl, the jonin was able to pick up on her hidden disappointment.

"Oh Hanabi-chan, don't be upset. Sasuke said I needed to talk to her. I was only trying to track her down; I'm not disappointed I found you instead, silly" he confided, trying to comfort the proud teenager.

"Hmph, very well. Hinata-oneechan should be home, if you continue the way you were headed. If she isn't there she may be in the training yard behind our complex." Hanabi directed, happily providing her assistance; feeling grateful that her feelings had been acknowledged.

"Thanks Hanabi-chan. Do you think you could give me any details as to what this could be about?" the whiskered man asked in earnest.

"The party I believe… she seemed pretty down, and when I asked about her mood she mumbled some lame excuse. When I pushed further she mentioned something dumb happening with Sakura. I only saw her briefly though, I was training with Yume-chan today." Hanabi elaborated with an apologetic look.

"True, the party _was_ only yesterday. Why are you training with Yume?" Naruto queried interestedly.

"Well we went on a B-rank mission together a while back when I first became chunin. She was the jonin leader of our cell and all I did was make a tinsy little joke about how my Byakugan is superior to her Sharingan and she got all challengey on me. You know how cocky she likes to be." Hanabi referenced, getting an amused nod from the blonde. "Well now we spar, practice and train together every now and then. It's a good exercise for our dojutsu (optical/visual jutsu). It's more of a challenge for me than her, but don't you dare repeat that."

"My lips are sealed. That's funny, Hinata and Sasuke used to practice their dojutsu against each other. But it wasn't a rivalry type deal." Naruto reminisced, oceanic eyes drifting off in memorial. "I'm going to head off though, I want to make sure your sister is alright. See you later Hanabi-chan!"

"Later Naruto-kun!" Hanabi replied with a giggle as Naruto quickly vanished in a shunshin.

*sigh* 'I hope he catches on soon. It should be obvious right? He _is_ a genius ninja. But come on Naruto-kun, oneechan obviously crushes on you, how do you not see it?'

"Everyone who has eye balls sees it!" Hanabi mumbled to herself with a sweat drop as she rubbed her temples before continuing her walk.

'Maybe when Hinata admits why she's upset… perhaps that will be obvious enough? Or maybe he's just not seeing anything there because they were teammates. But still…' the agile Hyuga wondered in thought, strolling calmly toward the busier areas of Konoha. 'I shouldn't be worried about it, if it's meant to be it will be. Right?'

 **End**

* * *

 **We need someone to edit, perfect and compile a Platinum Edition of Naruto so we can watch an HD, useless-filler-free version of the anime! Both original & Shippuden. This would make Kyzer very, very happy.**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	5. Night Out

**5**

 **-Night Out-**

* * *

 **Hyuga Compound; With Naruto**

A low sun painted the clouds and sky a swirl of soft pinks, oranges and reds as Naruto made his way to Hinata's home.

As he approached the front of the complex, the mansion felt serene although Naruto sensed no one nearby. Supposing he'd try anyways, the anxious jonin walked up to the large, ornate front doors and gave them a solid few knocks.

"Hello, is anyone home? Hinata?" the young blonde man tested.

The silence was broken by a minute sound. A trifling noise, barely audible to the shinobi's sensitively trained ears. Faint as it were, he caught it nonetheless.

"Hello?" he called once more, a little louder this time.

Another noise emitted from within the building, clearly audible. Something resided within the grand edifice.

*muffled comment*

"Hinata?" Naruto asked, hearing the voice from inside.

*faint approaching footsteps*

"Is someone there? Hiashi-sama?" the Uzumaki asked in concern.

"Go away…" a woman's voice commanded softly behind the sumptuous barrier.

"Hinata…" Naruto uttered, clutching his stomach. He had never upset her like this and it was gnawing at him. Not knowing made it worse. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk right now Naruto." the young woman spoke quietly from behind the doors. "Please leave."

'Ouch…' he thought to himself, pausing for a moment, "…will you please at least tell me what I did to make you upset?"

"I…I can't. I can't talk…" the Hyuga admitted in a hush, muffling her small gasps as she began to cry.

Naruto could barely hear her soft pants. His heart started to ache over a burning feeling in his stomach. '

'Why is she crying…' he thought to himself in confusion, leaning against the door with tightly clenched fists. "Hinata, I only want to-"

"Just go!" she yelled, hitting the door. "Go away!" the crying girl shouted, quickly receding footsteps threw the dense weight of Hinata's absence onto Naruto.

A crippling silence was left in her wake. The abhorred ninja turned and fell down, sitting on the stairs with his face in his palms.

'What the fuck…' he thought to himself as tears welled in his eyes. 'I have to find out what I did to cause this. Ugh, but the only way to do that is to have Ino get inside my head! Stupid Sakura will kill me if anyone finds out what happened with me and her. Damnit!'

"…This is so shitty." he whispered to himself, shaking his head as he tugged on his spikey hair.

The defeated young man sluggishly stood up, sighing deeply as he did. Dusting off his long fire emblazoned coat as he rose, Naruto opened his watery blue eyes.

"I'll resolve this." he muttered to himself, attempting to be optimistic. "No matter what."

He waited there a moment, letting the breeze wash over him with scents of lilac and hydrangea caressing him coolly.

'I guess it's about time to go meet up with Sasuke and the others, but…it feels wrong leaving her like this.' He thought to himself, looking up at the purple twilight that mirrored his mood. 'I'll leave a note.'

The whiskered ninja produced sealing paper and ink. Using the smooth steps as a desk, Naruto wrote a short series of symbols; creating a sealing scroll. Inspired spontaneously by the violet flowers around him, the summon master quickly produced a kage bunshin (shadow clone) that ran through four hand seals and slammed the earth with a bleeding thumb.

Appearing a minute later, the clone returned with a small jewel. The trans-dimensional amethyst was deep purple, and of high purity.

Naruto received the gem from his clone before it dispelled, cupping it in his left palm. With his right hand Naruto produced wind chakra from his index figure, and began to whittle the purple object.

Konoha's jinchuuriki reviewed his handiwork after some time, and with a small grin he placed it in the center of the sealing glyphs. Activating his chakra, the small chiseled object disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Locking it in a special seal only Hinata could open (lest another Hyuga find the note and run an investigation), the bereft friend enveloped his small scroll and left it on his teammates' doorstep.

'I'll approach her once she's had time to cool off. Right after I learn what happened and settle all of the dumb shit Konohamaru started.' Naruto thought, confidence returning to his chest. 'It'll be okay.'

 **Hotaka's Taphouse**

"Oi, Hotaka-san! Where the round two at?!" a gruff male voice called out, drawing amused laughs from patrons nearby.

"Oh! I thought you gentlemen were waiting for Naruto-san to join?" the bartender replied in question, approaching the side of the counter closest to the rowdy ninja.

"C'mon Kiba, don't be a douche." a certain Uchiha teased, punching the sharp toothed nuisance in the shoulder. "We can wait longer, not like we're going anywhere."

"Sasuke's right, man. You should chill." the nineteen-year-old sitting across from him said, feigning seriousness. "Do we need to intervene on your alcoholism?"

"Oh shut _up_ Unzari. You're the one who's already plowed through your own bottle of sake!" the brunette barked back in exasperation, "and shutup with your 'chill' pun. We get it bro, you like ice."

"Listen, just because I can use hyoton (ice release) doesn't mean I can't partake in common sayings. Speaking of puns though, it's still funny as hell to call you a bitch… Hahhaha." the shirtless ninja jabbed back as he and Sasuke laughed noisily at their comrade's expense.

The half-naked ice user was rescued by a Konoha relief squad when he was four. In no time, Unzari was adopted by the village as a member of the Hidden Leaf. The woman who led the team that rescued him eventually became his leader, alongside his teammates Uchiha Yume and Ryu Kiken during their time on Team 4. She also played a hand in the boy's life growing up.

Unzari is a surviving member of the Yuki clan who was feared and hunted for its hyoton kekkei genkai. The large man is the tallest amongst his friends, boasting a muscular physique which is commonly displayed for all to see via his lack of abdominal apparel. The shinobi's head is covered in short, spiky white hair that directly illuminates his clear, deep-purple eyes. In his mouth he bares uncommonly sharp teeth; although not as threatening as the Inuzuka's. Out during leisurely hours, Yuki Unzari is currently dressed in black sweat pants and combat sandals.

"Go easy on him, you know how easily Kiba gets offended." Sasuke teased, biting back bursts of laughter as he wiped tears from his dark eyes.

"Ohh man, you little shits are gonna get it!" the Inuzuka feigned, quickly rising to his feet in a playfully aggressive stance.

"What in the hell are you doing Kiba?" a familiar voice commented, snagging the attention of all three young soldiers. "Unzari would destroy you, even without Sasuke's help."

" _FINALLY_." Sasuke groaned in sarcastic vexation, standing up with the others to greet their friend as they laughed. "We were starting to think that you injured your little *ahem* ' _kunai_ ' going hard on pinky last night…"

Hysterical laughter was what met Sasuke's last comment, swiftly eliciting a headlock from the blonde who held a surging rasengan to the Uchiha's face which was bright pink from laughing so hard.

"I will kill you bitch. I will kill you and feed you to the fat snowman." Naruto threatened, releasing his best friend while his swirling sphere of chakra dissipated.

"Hey!" Unzari shouted in false offence, ironically stuffing sushi into his mouth. "I eat a lot, okay?"

"Hahah, so how are you?" Sasuke asked, ignoring the white haired man with a wave. "It's not like you to be late. Did you go see Hinata?"

"Yeah… it wasn't productive." the whiskered ninja admitted, his mood crippling visibly. "She wouldn't talk to me."

" _Do you know why she's upset?_ " Sasuke whispered to Naruto as the four gentlemen went to take their seats.

The blonde shook his head in the negative and took his place across from his old team mate; with Kiba and Unzari to Naruto's left and right respectively.

"Yo Hotaka, I think we're ready to get this party started!" Kiba announced, turning around to face the bar and hail their favorite alcohol-tender. Turning back, he asked their celebrated joiner, "so big guy…"

"Give us the deets man!" Unzari picked up for Kiba, slapping the table in unconscious excitement. "What really went down with you and the little flower?"

"No-no. Before we get to that; you guys figured out that we were set under a genjutsu that night, don't you?" Naruto asked, curious to know if any of them were able to pick up on their drinks being spiked and having that troublesome illusion cast on them.

"Genjutsu? What are you talking about?" Kiba asked as their beverages were delivered by Hotaka who quickly bowed before darting to another customer. "Thanks… So what you're saying is that _idiot_ threw an illusion over everyone at our party?"

"Well maybe not every single person, but generally, yes. Konohamaru actually managed to wreak some havoc on my life. I wanted to kill the kid when I found out, guys. I jumped him around the village, summoned Suterusu with clones and everything. Kicked his ass a little bit too." Naruto admitted, grinning at the memory of beating the young prick, drawing laughter from his buddies.

"Hold on. What exactly do you think he did to us?" Unzari asked, baffled that a chunin such as Konohamaru managed to infiltrate their gathering and deceive all of the jonin simultaneously. "It's _Konohamaru_ we're talking about."

"Well after my father interrupted my smack-down he asked him what happened. The brat said he used a low level genjutsu that complemented the drinks that he spiked. He was using henge and pretended to be our bartender later in the evening. Never mentioned what drugs he used though." Naruto explained, feeling tendrils of anger and resentment whip around in his belly.

"Oh shit, I guess that makes sense but seriously… _That_ kid?" Sasuke thought aloud, having flashbacks as he connected some dots of his own. "Tell us what happened with you."

"Well you guys know that I kind of had a crush on Sakura when we were younger," Naruto started before all three of his companions gave him unconvinced, dead-pan looks, "okay fine- I liked her a lot. Anyways. I have trouble remembering anything, and I can't differentiate my real memories from fake ones. I'm not really supposed to talk about it. Ultimately it looks like I'll need to see Ino to learn anything."

"Ino? Oh I see. Well why don't you tell us what you can remember. Maybe we can help you refresh your memory before you let her into your head?" the frosty haired shinobi offered, closing his purple eyes after downing another shot of sake.

"That's the thing. If I tell anyone anything Sakura's going to be trouble, and I don't want to be dealing with any of that. At all." the Hokage's son explained seriously, watching his friends nod in unanimous agreement.

"Hahah, okay bro I get it." Kiba laughed, fully aware of Sakura's tendency to hit men who pissed her off. "No judgement in that department."

"So what about you guys? Now that you know you were far less sober than you originally thought can you think of anything that doesn't match up to reality?" Naruto asked, sending all three men deep into contemplation.

"Uhh…" the Uchiha grunted first, looking around their table, "I can tell you guys what I have on my end?"

"I got some stuff too I think." Kiba chimed in, hand on his chin in shallow meditation. "…I think."

"Well we can take turns if you want?" the shirtless shinobi recommended with a shrug.

"Might as well. Kiba, you can start if you want. Then we'll follow clockwise." Sasuke suggested as his friends nodded in agreement.

"Well it wasn't very eventful. I'm sure I was already lit by the time Kono-baka came around with his fuck-you magic." the canine-looking man explained. "Pretty sure I got smacked more than thrice."

"Do you remember any specifics? Like any fantasies you might have had before that seemed to finally become reality." Naruto inquired curiously, taking the shot that sat before him. "… The sexual kinds."

"Oh, well you guys already know I want to smash Ino hahah." Kiba said as he took a sip of his drink after a naughty wink.

"Duh dipshit, who wouldn't?" Unzari pestered in a half-amused manner. "But on the down low you do need to tone it back a bit. She's a fine woman but also a capable and scary kunoichi. She deserves more respect than that of a dog."

"Oh I'll show her some respect alright." the Inuzuka countered with a dreamy sigh, not picking up on his large buddy's sinking mood. "I'll respect those toned calves over my shoulders. Or maybe you're right bro; doggy-style then?"

"Listen here bitch- " Unzari started, reaching for Kiba as Sasuke intercepted him. "Have a _little_ respect, huh?"

"Woah, woah." the calm Uchiha hushed, holding an outstretched arm between the two ninjas with a beer in the other. "Relax Unzari, you know how this idiot gets. So let's have a good time!"

Unzari nodded, but Kiba didn't seem to understand just yet. Before he could get another sly comment out, Sasuke prepared to roast him.

"Kiba, bitch, just learn to shut your mouth. Yes she's gorgeous and you're hot for her. Yes I'm sure most men wouldn't mind too much laying with her, but let's not even get started on that busty sister of yours."

"Woahh, hohooo!" Naruto jeered loudly as the three of them laughed at Kiba once again, "dayumm!"

"Alright, I get it! Respect the kunoichi yadda-yadda. Whatever, it's still something I've wanted, I got distracted answering your questions…" the canine user complained, shaking off the hazing as he sipped liquid inebriation.

"So tell us." the Yuki shinobi demanded, moving the conversation along to the Uchiha. "What happened for you? I remember leaving alone, but other than major dancing and sweet vibes there wasn't much other than that. Can't remember anything suspicious."

"Yeeah, I've had difficulties recalling last night as well. I figured it would come back to me in time." Sasuke said, finishing his sake with a content sigh. "But probly not this time. Hotaka! Another!" he called in a spirited slur at their bartender.

"Alright, I think I've had enough of the stupid party shit." Naruto announced, absently playing flip-cup with the sake bottle. "Let's talk about something cool or funny or fucking relevant. I want to have a good-ass time." he finished, grabbing his cup and downing the rest of the intoxicating liquid. "Let's enjoy the evening now."

"Oh I agree whole-heartedly," Unzari garbled, standing up to make his way to the multi-colored board, bellowing, "who wants to play darts!?"

"Unzari-san, the last time you four played darts I had to replace the wall." Hotaka referenced as he prepared another customer's martini. "I appreciate that you helped pay for it but it's bad for business…"

"We won't use kunai this time sir. We're very sorry for that!" Kiba replied honestly, rising to join his white haired companion. "We'll have a relaxed evening tonight."

"…Unzari?" Naruto tested, appearing beside the bulky young man.

"Naruto…?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow at his elder pal.

" _I bet you 10000 ryo that you can't match my bulls-eye streak."_ the blonde challenged in a whisper, smoothly downing another beer; smirkign slyly as a broad, wild smile spread across Unzari's face.

"Oh no," the violet eyed man reciprocated, cracking his knuckles intimidatingly, "I'm going to bankrupt you."

"Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of your echoing pockets." Naruto chuckled, snickering at his own horrid joke.

"Bruh. You're dead."

 **Traveling to Land of Iron; Team Kakashi**

A whisper of a hint caught the attention of Konoha's elites. Minato decided to send a small cell of two veteran jonin to validate the claim due to the severity of the claims.

With the superiorly elite Kakashi in command, the duo made short work of the continental distance between Konoha and the icy Land of Iron.

'We've been sprinting since 3:00AM and it's getting dark fast.' the masked shinobi thought silently, typhoon-grade winds rushing around him, 'we should find a place to make camp.'

"Rin." Kakashi called as he brought his tree jumping to an end. The woman caught his voice by a hairsbreadth.

"Yes!" the brunette woman answered in a hush as she halted her momentum, landing a few branches from her team captain. "Time to prepare camp?"

"Yes. Let's make this quick." he answered, scanning the area. "There, under the oak with the warped hole on the side."

"Got it." Rin replied as she appeared below the tree in a blur- Kakashi close on her heels. "I will ready the camo-tent."

"Hurry." Kakashi muttered, continuing to keep watch on their surroundings. 'Why do I feel eyes on us? Might be paranoia.'

After a few moments Rin had created a small hole in the earth at the base of the tree. Above the hole was the shrubbery that functioned as the shelters' disguise. Inconspicuously designed to match the font of the forest.

"Nice work." he commented as the two soldiers hid. The hole opened up into a small room the kunoichi had created using her earth release; carving out a decent space to rest.

After a while of eating in exhausted silence, Rin had a concern.

"Kakashi…" she hesitated.

"Yes?" he inquired, cleaning the plates and cups for re-use.

Her face crinkled with worry in the mellow candle light.

"You're apprehensive." he inferred.

"Slightly." she disclosed shortly, brushing her leg off. "He's kept his head low for all this time? Decades of being hidden and the Iron Samurais report unknown ninja activity." she shook her head. "I don't want it to be him."

"I've thought this too. Nonetheless, we have to know for certain." Kakashi stated, running a thoughtful hand through his hair. "Settle your worries for now. It's only reconnaissance."

The two ninja sat in thoughtful silence for a while longer.

"What if he has something to do with the Cult?" Rin asked, breaking the silence.

"What? How could he?" he questioned.

"I don't know. We've had only minor conflicts for so long that I get the feeling we're all overdue for a crisis." she explained, unable to keep her uneasiness hidden.

"Rin, look at me." Kakashi demanded placidly, getting her full attention. "Whatever this turns out to be, whatever happens, we'll get through it. We have the strongest hidden village in history to back us up. Plus we're not too bad ourselves." he finished with a hidden grin.

"You're right." she said, embarrassed at having to be comforted. "We should get our rest."

"I agree. I'll wake you when we need to go." he assured her.

'I had to keep up the guise to retain her moral, but I can't shake this feeling either.' Kakashi thought to himself as he got comfortable in the dirt.

'Why do I feel like something terrible is approaching?'

 **End**

* * *

 **The Taken King is dead.**

 **Touch of Spindle? Black Malice?**

 **STORMSHADOW OF SOL!**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	6. Under the Glass

**6**

 **-Under the Glass-**

* * *

 **Residential District; Unzari's Apartment**

*loud snoring at an obnoxious proximity*

"Urrnghh…" a sleepy shinobi groaned as he opened two hazy, violet eyes.

"Ugh, Sasuke why do you have to sleep so loudly?" Unzari questioned, asking nobody in particular, "and how did you end up on my back? … and why are we sleeping on the floor out here?"

"The kitty doesn't have chop so up. I don't walk why do you have that?" a slumbering blonde mumbled aloud, freezing the shirtless boy in his tracks. "Just pour the side off…"

"…What in the fu-"

"ROAST THem please…" the Uzumaki exclaimed, interrupting Unzari before returning to the steady paced snoring.

"Well okay." he mumbled to himself, returning his attention to the Uchiha whose head was resting on his lower back. "Thank goodness for couch cushions."

In a movement perfected by a decade of practice, Unzari substituted out with one of his pillows to keep from awakening his black-haired friend.

'Where is Kiba?' he thought to himself before a note on the coffee table caught his eye. ' _"Sorry I wasn't able to be there when everyone stumbled awake, but it's been a while. I left to play with Akamaru."_ Well that makes sense, they have been apart for a little while now.'

'Hope these guys don't get hangovers.' Unzari thought as he made his way toward his modest kitchen. 'Wouldn't be able to relate since I can't get them, but I might as well make their morning as painless as possible.'

The Yuki ninja lived in a roomy two bedroom apartment. Immediately upon entry the guest is met with a comfortable living space to the right of a decent sized kitchen on the left with a hallway for the bedrooms several meters in front of the archway.

'I'll make breakfast, see if that wakes them up.' the host thought to himself as he readied his stove and began to crack eggs, prepare bacon and mix pancake batter.

"Ruffles in the wake, there's the letter…" Naruto muttered as he slept after several minutes of breakfast preparation.

"Damn you say some weird stuff in your asleep." Unzari laughed to himself, flipping a pancake which landed haphazardly on his counter; eliciting a sweatdrop as he scrambled to replace the disk onto his pan.

"You want four blades to the face kunai? I smell victory…" Sasuke seemingly replied in his unconscious state.

"…"

"Brontos…bread? Break, no…bat-butt. " the blonde mumbled as he began to shuffle. " Back on the..back…on…Black me. Bake on…bacon?"

"Good morning you strange creature." Unzari greeted with a chuckle, successfully flipping his lopsided pancake with a fist-pump. "…How are you feeling?"

"Bacon?" the bead-headed jinchuuriki asked once more, sitting up slightly with eyes nearly shut.

"No Naruto, how do you _feel_? Wake up already haha, here." Unzari poured a glass of water and approached to set it on the coffee table that was at Naruto's feet. "Shut up and hydrate yourself."

"I smell victory." Sasuke grumbled, however appearing much more alert this time around.

"Déjà vu." Unzari laughed, returning to his stove to continue the preparation of their breakfast.

"Good morning to you too- aww…" the raven-haired shinobi greeted before groaning, clutching his temples as he stumbled up. "Man. We got so hammered…did we ever stop drinking?"

"It was fun though…" his drowsy blonde team mate commented, scooting on his rear to reach the drink that felt so very far away. "Well we stopped when we passed out didn't we? What is today?"

"True that." Unzari agreed, distracted by the flipped bacon calling his name.

"It's Monday." Sasuke answered sluggishly, inching his way into the kitchen to hydrate himself as well. "Oh- are you making breakfast for us?"

"Yeah man. I figured you two might be hurting when you woke up, so I wanted to make food for everyone." the chef of the hour admitted.

"That's awesome Unzari, thanks." Naruto yawned gratefully, sighing in sweet relief once he downed the tall glass of water. Rising up, he came to join his buddies. "So it's Monday. I guess it's time to go see dad about a mission. Play time is now over."

"Agreed. Besides, I'm itching to get some action anyways." Unzari confessed with a laugh. "Haven't fought anyone in almost a week!"

"Well there isn't any rush." Sasuke assured, stretching in deep satisfaction. "It's only 10:19AM, so we can eat and head over to Hokage-sama before 3:00PM."

"I'm going to stop by and see my family before I head over there." Naruto stated, refilling his water in earnest. "I want to beat noon, which might allow me to take a mission that begins tonight or tomorrow."

"Alright gentlemen, please take your seats." Unzari requested as he wrapped up the first round of bacon, eggs and pancakes.

The two shinobi did as requested, sitting at the bar-like structure separating the kitchen from the living room.

"Breakfast is served!" the white haired cook exclaimed, placing a warm breakfast in front of his two guests, and a third on the opposite side of them for himself. "So do you guys know what mission our sensei went on?"

"I didn't get a chance to ask Rin, but Kakashi told me that it's only a reconnaissance mission in the Land of Iron. He didn't say much else, but I asked him to keep in touch." Naruto explained, graciously thanking Unzari for their meals. "Thank you very much!"

"Yes, thank you! …I was able to catch Kakashi early yesterday morning since I heard he'd be leaving for a couple weeks. He told me there was a ninja disturbance or sighting of some sort in the Samurai's land." Sasuke added. "I haven't seen Rin recently either, but I've heard rumors going around my clan that ninja haven't been returning home…"

"You're very welcome. I've heard the same Sasuke. I was nervous that it might be related to what our old teachers might be investigating." Unzari confessed, biting back a pang of fear for his friends before he finished, "they can handle themselves, I know. But I care, so I worry."

"Yeah man I understand." Naruto replied, nodding in agreement. "But we shouldn't be focusing on 'ifs'. For now we should stay focused on our delicious breakfast and whatever mission we get assigned today."

"I agree. Kakashi and Rin will be fine." Sasuke said with true confidence in their teachers' abilities. "They're one hell of a team."

"To our sensei!" Unzari exclaimed, holding his glass up between them.

" **To our sensei!** " the boys cheered in return.

 **Uzumaki Clan District; With Naruto**

After enjoying a relaxing morning and breakfast with a couple of his favorite people, Naruto decided to visit his family's home before going to receive his assignment. Naruto occasionally stayed at the main house but often liked to seclude himself in his own separate home on the same grounds for the added privacy and quiet. These aided in his Sage meditations and studies.

Naruto approached his parents' front door and gave it a few knocks. After a moment he heard the sound of light footsteps.

"One moment, I'm coming!" a woman's voice called out from inside. Opening the doors, a cheerful, red haired lady smiled big and bright at the sight of her son. "Hi sweetheart!"

"Hey mom!" Naruto replied, spreading his arms out wide and embracing Kushina in a warm hug. "Sorry it's been so long since my last visit."

"Oh it's okay honey, you're a busy young man. And it hasn't even been two weeks." His mother assured him with a squeeze. "Would you like to come in?"

"Of course! I just want to get to dad by noon." the blonde replied as they separated and went indoors.

As Naruto took a seat in the dining room, Kushina had tea already prepared for herself. She brought a cup over to share with her oldest child.

"I just wanted to pay you a visit before I got my assignment from dad today." Naruto started, thankfully accepting his hot cup.

"Well I appreciate it handsome. Have you had breakfast yet?" she asked raising an eyebrow with a hand on her hip; her son chuckled.

"Hahah yes ma'am I have. Actually, Unzari woke me and Sasuke up with the smells of bacon, eggs and pancakes that he made us this morning." Naruto elaborated with a grin. "He's pretty awesome."

"Ahh, I haven't seen little Sasuke or Unzari around in a while. I wish they weren't so busy." Kushina admitted with a mild pout.

"Oh come on mom, don't be like that. You know Sasuke's working on his professional kick-ass team and Unzari is usually out on missions. That guy must be loaded to be honest; he keeps himself so busy he's rarely home longer than ten days." Naruto explained with a thought. "It's a surprise that we could get that party coordinated honestly."

"Speaking of which (I will ignore your language for now), how was that fancy ball of yours? Did you dance with any of the ladies? Ooo! Did you get a kiss from one?" Kushina inquired, eager to hear more about the details of her son's life.

"Well actually it was very nice up until later in the evening…" Naruto admitted, rubbing his neck nervously.

"What!? What happened?" Kushina asked in shock, disappointed to hear that the event her son and his friends were so excited for, and worked so very hard to earn, was marred in some fashion.

"Dad hasn't mentioned it to you? He was the one that interrupted me yesterday." Naruto asked in confusion, turning the smooth white cup around in his palm. "Didn't you hear Suterusu as well?"

"Well yes I did but I knew your father would as well, and I'm confident that there'd be more commotion if anything was out of order." She explained in amusement, grinning as her son smiled. "The thing is- Minato never came home last night... He's still working."

"Wow... Doesn't dad usually just go into the office for an hour or so on Sundays?" Naruto inquired curiously, looking out the window as he continued, "they must be dealing with really intense stuff."

"Yes he does- usually. We'll be fine though." Kushina replied with confidence, sipping her warm tea with optimistic thoughts, "We have excellent shinobi among this village of ours."

"Wait a second, where's our small one?" Naruto asked suddenly, noticing the absence of one of his favorite people on earth. "Damn, is she at the academy?"

"(LANGUAGE) Yes she is, and she's doing quite well. I'm so proud of her!" Kushina exclaimed, cupping her hands together in excitement, "although despite being at the top of her class, that sister of yours is quite the trouble maker."

"Oh stop mom, you know she doesn't ever hurt anyone." Naruto chuckled as he gratefully finished his tea. "Ayama is perfect."

"I agree honey, except for when she's not." the fire haired woman giggled, turning to a mounted clock with a grin. "Well if you're looking to beat noon, you've got four minutes to get to your father's office."

"You know that's more than enough time for me." the confident son yawned with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, I do." Kushina admitted with pride.

"Actually I'll pay our little one a visit too; I could never start a mission without seeing her first." Naruto added, excited to see his younger sibling.

The esteemed jinchuuriki stood up with his mother and gave her another long hug.

"I'll come over immediately after I submit my report once I'm finished with this mission." the blonde assured as the embrace drew to a close. "We'll all get to spend some quality time together. Soon mom."

"I love you Naruto, be safe." Kushina said gently, pulling the blonde in for one last squeeze. She always felt it could be their last, but valiantly fought back tears before releasing. "Go kick some ass."

"I will. I love you mom." he replied as they separated once more. "See you soon!"

After a quick flash of light the red-haired mother was left by herself once more.

Kushina stood in silence for a moment.

"…"

"Fuck being alone." Kushina said to no one in particular. "I'm gonna see Mikoto."

 **The Academy; Uzumaki Ayama**

"Good job Noboru-kun!" a small girl with two whisker marks on each cheek and strawberry blonde hair called out. "You got a lot of those targets back there."

"Thanks Ayama-chan!" a young boy with black hair replied. "But I couldn't hit all of them like you did."

"Well you're not me and you hit a bunch of the bullseyes, so be happy!" she asserted with sass, putting her hands on her hips. "You gotta focus and keep work-"

*blip*

A sudden flash of shadowed blue light cut off the six-year-old aspiring kunoichi.

"ONIISAN!" the small girl exclaimed as her light blue eyes grew wide and bright at the sight of her older brother.

"AYAMA!" the young man replied just as happily, catching her as she sprinted and launched herself at him. "Oof! Easy there strong lady. You're getting so big! I bet you're super fast now, huh? Training at the academy now."

"Not as big and fast as you are oniisan!" Ayama replied, squeezing his neck tighter. "I've missed you! Will you teach me something? Are you going on a mission soon? Did you beat up any bad guys? Oh wait!"

The fiery haired girl quickly scrambled and jumped off her brother, running to a more open part of the outdoor lunch area, gesturing for him to follow.

"Watch this!" she exclaimed as she pulled out a kunai. She stood in place for a moment with her kunai in hand and eyes closed; focusing her chakra. Opening her eyes in determination, the young girl threw her kunai at nothing while simultaneously shifting her hand seals into something that Naruto knew well. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Appearing a few meters from Ayama was a shadow clone of hers that swiftly hurled a shuriken that intercepted her original kunai, clanging loudly in midair.

"Wow! Look at you, little miss shinobi!" Naruto laughed as Ayama ran back giggling and jumped on him again, hanging from his neck in a hug. "But listen droplet, I have to go see dad about a mission. I'll be back soon okay?"

"Awww, come on!" the small girl complained. "I just got you back…"

"I'm sorry big lady. I'll teach you another cool jutsu when I get back, okay?" the older brother offered, feeling guilty for not being around more. "I'll even teach your friends something cool too if you want."

"You promise?" Ayama said, locking her bright blue eyes on her siblings' darker blues; her little hand on his face to ensure his focus.

"I promise Ayama." he insisted, receiving a kiss on the cheek, which he returned.

"I love you Naruto." Ayama said quietly, holding her brother tight.

"I love you too Ayama." he replied, biting back the urge to tear up. "I'll be back to show you something cool, don't worry."

Setting his sister down on her feet, Naruto handed her one of his special fuinjutsu shuriken.

"I'll be back for this." he promised with a smile. "See you soon!"

*blip*

In a flash Ayama and her classmates were left to finish their lunch.

"Wow!"

"How'd he do that?!"

"Where'd he go?" her classmates cheered in awe.

"Gosh Ayama-chan, your brother is so cool!" Noboru exclaimed in admiration.

"Yeah." the whisker-faced girl agreed proudly. "He is."

'You better get your butt back here fast oniisan. Or I'll kick it and take dad's seat myself.'

 **Hokage Tower; Minato's Office**

*blip*

*knock knock knock*

"Come in Naruto." the Hokage answered in amusement, sounds of shuffling papers escaping the room.

"Hey dad." the younger blonde greeted with a smile as he entered. "Woah that's a lot of paperwork. Did you get behind or something?"

"Maybe a bit eheh." Minato admitted in embarrassment, looking about his desk in thought. "Our intelligence division received an emergency report from one of our recon cells, so I had to postpone the more tedious affairs of this job. Monday's are always the worst."

Noticing Naruto's immediate concern about his fellow Leaf shinobi and rising emotions at the thought of a specific ninja being in trouble, Minato had to cut his son off to keep him from worrying about his old teacher.

"No son, the distress note wasn't sent from Kakashi and Rin." the legendary shinobi stated calmly. "But you're still not going to be happy about it."

"I know that." Naruto replied, anxious to learn more. "Who sent the messenger hawk? What do they need? Reinforcements? What's happened exactly?"

"Hyuga Neji sent the hawk. He is leading a three-man cell that includes Unzari's old team mates…" Minato informed begrudgingly, knowing what his son's reaction was going to be. "They're alright currently, but-"

"Why did you wait until I came to you to tell me this?!" Naruto asked incredulously, unintentionally interrupting his Hokage. "Whatever it is they need; that's the mission I'll be taking!"

"Because Neji stated specifically that it would be detrimental to the operation if we sent direct reinforcements so there was no need to rush you." the Konoha leader explained, gazing at his son with a serious expression. "Their operation is being held in the Land of Tundra, which is southeast of the Land of Iron. If they need immediate reinforcements I'm confident Kakashi and Rin could assist before you; and vice versa."

"What are they looking for? More importantly- how can I help?" Naruto asked with respect, but still anxious to get moving.

"Listen for now. Four years ago three members of the Uchiha clan were KIA in the conflict we had with the Sand." Minato explained, allowing his son to make the connections. "There were three chunin led by a jonin named Uchiha Hideo, if you remember. Only one of the chunin wasn't from the clan."

"Yeah, that's right. That was when you sent Jiraiya and I to help their jinchuuriki work on his bijuu (tailed beast)." Naruto recalled, crossing his powerful arms. "Hideo-san's squad backed us up when that red head couldn't control Shukaku… Jiraiya said it was in the village's best interest if he and I weren't a part of the fight but I couldn't just sit there when their shinobi attacked! It was chaos when the whole village turned on us after I entered my bijuu mode to maintain control over the Shukaku."

"Our ties with that village were always uneasy Naruto. That was not your fault. However the problem now is that our intelligence team doesn't believe that they were disintegrated by the bijuu bomb you blocked." Minato informed, raising an eyebrow from his son. "Their theory is that they planned the fight to defect from Konoha. We think they had an agreement with the Sand. We suspect betrayal at the least."

"That's a bold statement." Naruto surmised grimly, scowling at the thought of traitors among them. "How could they possibly escape that? Jiraiya and I only survived because of Kurama and the power of his bijuu form. Why did you send Unzari's team mates with Neji if you know one of them is an Uchiha?"

"I know it's a stretch, but it's not something I can let go of willingly when two more Uchiha shinobi have gone missing on missions associated with them since then. We are assuming one of the ninja on Hideo's squad used some sort of escape technique in order to survive and go into hiding; if they are indeed alive that is." Minato stated before answering his son's question. "I trust Rin and her students. But I also trusted the eight other ninja who are suspect. I sent Yume to test her with Kiken to act as a moral stimulant. I needed to see if she would desert us even in the face of a close comrade. Neji was aware of the plan."

"You don't trust Yume…?" Naruto asked calmly, naturally angry at suspicion lurking over one of his friends. "You tried to bait her into betraying?"

"Her loyalty to Konoha over her clan was in question because of the actions that several of her clan members have taken." the Hokage answered solidly, staring into a piece of information before him. "Obito, Itachi, Shisui and Sasuke are some of the only other jonin-level Uchiha now besides her; that I trust anyway. All of them are exempt from this on every account."

Taking a breath, Minato continued. "This mission was used to test whether or not she could be trusted and if she'd defect when confronted with defectors of her own family."

"I can appreciate your efforts. But I'm not so sure this is restricted to clan-based phenomena." Naruto theorized, holding back the desire to be angry at the people who caused this poisonous doubt. "I don't know what it could be, but I don't think it'd be wise to restrict it to just the Uchiha. There are a few other ninja who have disappeared since then."

"Well as it turns out, you are correct. It appears that two other Leaf shinobi might be a part of it." Minato commented grimly, looking up at his eldest. "Our Anbu are calling them the 'Cult' since it's believed that a certain ideal of some sort is drawing them all together." the veteran warrior explained, continuing languidly. "We're keeping the fact that we know these ninja aren't actually missing or dead a secret to refrain from spoiling our element of surprise."

"What is it that you need me to do about this?" Naruto asked firmly, ready for action.

"I want you to choose two ninja you trust to accompany you." Minato informed, locking eyes with his son. "I want you to find and capture one of the ninja on this list. It may be necessary during your mission to assist Kakashi or Neji's cell at any given time. I will reach you via Toad summon if the need arises. This is an S-ranked mission."

Naruto accepted the scroll with a nod and read over the names of the ninja that had seemed to disappear/die around the Shukaku encounter under erroneous or suspicious circumstances:

 **Shinobi Under the Glass:**

Uchiha Aoto (male; MIA) – (Cpt.) Cell B9

Uchiha Yushin (male; MIA) – Cell B9

Uchiha Nanami (female; KIA) – Squad H4

Uchiha Hideo (male; KIA) – (Cpt.) Squad F7

Uchiha Shiori (female; KIA) – Squad F7

Uchiha Kosai (male; KIA) – Squad F7

Kudo Haruma (male; KIA) – Squad F7

Iwate Reina (female; MIA) – Solo

 **Cell B9 (2 units; both suspect):** Stealth cell deployed to investigate Hidden Sand operations

 **Squad H4 (4 units; 1 suspect):** Relief squad to assist Hidden Cloud allies in Land of Lightning

 **Squad F7 (4 units; all suspect):** Jinchuuriki escort task

 **Solo:** Recon unit sent to inspect Hidden Mist jinchuuriki status

"I understand." Naruto accepted thoughtfully, studying the file with dangerous interest.

"You have one hour to assemble your cell and return to me with your exit schedule." Minato commanded. "I want you to leave within twenty four hours."

"Yes sir." Naruto said, disappearing in a flash of light.

 **Ichiraku Ramen**

"Naruto ma-boy!" a heart ramen vendor exclaimed with vigor. "Good to see you, what would you like?"

"The usual please. I'm hopefully leaving on a mission in an hour and I plan on using this time to think of who my cell members are going to be." Naruto informed, taking his seat. "Here, what do I owe you for Konohamaru? I'll just pay his bill with mine in advance so I can leave when I finish."

"Uhh, eheh…his bill turned out to be 140,017 Ryo." Ichiraku confessed. "He ate his fill then ordered a few to-gos."

"What a damn punk…that's fine, here." Naruto groused, paying the man for his services. "Thank you very much."

"No, thank **you** , son! Your business and company is greatly appreciated." Ichiraku exclaimed honestly. "I'll get to work then."

'Okay… First, who is available to head off on this mission?' Naruto thought to himself. 'This is too close to home for Unzari. Yume and Kiken are his team mates, he likely would be skewed in his decisions. I don't want to involve Sasuke on a scheme involving his clan; that's just as close to home for him as well.'

"Damn it…" Naruto cursed under his breath. 'Let's see. Shikamaru, Kiba and Ino are home for sure. I'm not sure about Lee or Tenten. Oh, and Hinata…she's still in the village as well.'

A spike of hurt jabbed in Naruto's chest.

'Okay, so ignoring my emotions and focusing on facts; Hinata is the first choice by far since we know each other well and fight excellently together,' the blonde thought, regulating his emotions, 'now I need one more. Since Hinata is an expert sensor ninja it'd be redundant to take Kiba with. Shino isn't even in the village, so… Shikamaru and Ino are my next choices in terms of use; they can both subdue an opponent without killing them. In this particular instance, Ino is going to be the best choice since she doubles as an interrogator. In addition, her psychic abilities would prove useful for this sort of task.'

"Almost ready for you here, Naruto-san!" Ichiraku's lovely daughter called out as she worked on his meal with her father.

"Thank you, Ayame-chan." Naruto replied graciously. "One moment please."

Naruto stood up and walked out, taking a few steps from the shack. "Kage bunshin no jutsu."

Two bursts of smoke revealed a duo of Naruto clones.

"You on the left; go retrieve Hinata. Tell her I have orders to get a cell together for an S-ranked mission." Naruto commanded, turning to the right clone. "And you do the same with Ino. Go."

In a double-flash of light, the two elite shadow clones went to fulfill their tasks.

Naruto returned to his seat inside.

"Order up!" Ichiraku announced happily. "Please enjoy!"

"Thank you very much!" Naruto said, lightening up somewhat at the sight of his favorite meal.

'I better enjoy this as much as I can.' Naruto thought to himself pleasantly as he took his first delicious slurp. 'It may be a long time before I can enjoy this again.'

 **End**

* * *

 **Uchiha Mikoto is Sasuke's mother for those of you that didn't know.**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	7. First Contact

**7**

 **-First Contact-**

* * *

 **12 Hours Earlier; Land of Tundra; Team Neji**

Uchiha Yume kept watch over her team as they slept in a hidden, one-entrance cavern. Eyes glistened in the moonlight as she endured her scout shift; determined sharingan scanning through the frosty darkness. She sat in a squat on the lip of the cave entrance, thoughtlessly twirling her special kunai.

Yume had her black hair in a long complex braid; a custom of hers for when she is deployed on missions. Her clothes are comprised of a black long sleeve shirt; form fit, with thick scarlet straps covering her wrists and forearms. A battle whip similar in color tied around her lower abdomen and waist. Similar black pants covering her lower half with more red wraps around her ankles up to her lower calves.

This stoic female holds an easily approachable appearance with elegant features that rest in a soft expression. A taller-than-average woman, Yume's height falls just below Naruto's (5'8" versus 5'9"). The lady Uchiha's build is of a slender yet muscular physique. The girl trained her body to be nearly as quick and agile as her mind.

"This wind is freezing my ass off." the eighteen-year-old complained to herself, sheathing her blade to rub her cheeks for warmth. "Kiken should have taken first shift. The cold doesn't even bother her."

The unique kunai previously fondled by Yume was a hand crafted gift from her old team mate, Kiken. The Ryu clan ninja forged the blade out of an exceptional metal known as aeteralli (eye-tur-all-ee), a rare material found only in deep volcanic veins from the dragon summon's realm.

The hilt of the object shines brightly with a sundry of colors, having been fashioned out of a single, smooth dragon scale plate. The white colored blade is four sided, similar to standard kunai except for having two edges that go along from the hilt in a single curve, akin to a predator's talon or tooth.

Yume's kunai was one of the gifts Kiken made for each of her genin team mates upon reaching jonin level among the village ranks. This special weapon holds an edge longer than anything found on earth. The melting point for aeteralli also being out of earthly reach, the blade is perfect for fire-based jutsu and doubles in chakra conduction.

"Hmph. That little elf…" Yume mumbled fondly to herself before she noticed something.

It was the smallest sound. A faint whir in the wind, easily blended together with the rest of the gusting tundra sounds. Any elite ninja would have had trouble detecting the disturbance, but having the Wind element as her secondary affinity gave Yume an edge in this instance.

It was almost slow motion due to her sharingan as the oversized shuriken seemed to rotate like a windmill on a stale day. She curiously cocked her head for a millionth of a second.

In one fluid motion Yume tucked forward in the direction of the advancing weapon. Falling off the top of the cave entrance, she landed on the balls of her feet after a single front flip.

The lack of an impact din from the projectile did not go unnoticed as Yume proficiently unraveled her combat whip and fastened her special dagger-like kunai (affectionately named Fang) on the end.

'Neji and Kiken can sit this one out.' Yume thought casually, preparing to counter or assault with her whip; stepping into the cave slightly with her back to her team mates deep within the cave that were hidden behind boulders and stalagmites.

The young jonin knew her enemy was above. She was more than prepared for it to jump down, crash through the ceiling or move about to fill the cave with a ninjutsu. Nothing, save the wind, dared stir.

Yet she still felt their presence.

'Could it have been a clone henged as a fuma-shuriken (giant shuriken)?' Yume thought to herself, quickly calculating the possibilities. 'Ugh, I just want to get this started.'

"Yo." the young Uchiha called out to the dark, growing impatient. "This is _our_ cave. Well, for now at least… So please take yourself elsewhere before I open up my patented jar of whoopass on you."

'Dumb bitch.' the ninja that attacked Yume thought from her position atop the cave entrance. 'She hasn't bothered to wake her friends? Big shot thinks she can take me on her own?'

The ninja's features were hidden behind a long, hooded black cape that kept her safe from the cold.

'Well in this case I'm glad Hideo didn't send anyone with me.' the woman thought to herself as she pulled out her senbon (a needle-like projectile weapon), muscles tensing in apprehension. 'I get this pompous bitch all to myself.'

The woman in the black cloak used shunshin to appear at the cave's archway. During her descent she threw a volley of senbon toward her victim's position which was ricocheted and blocked by her opponent's whip. Immediately upon her landing the woman threw a larger flurry of senbon, aiming wit fatal precision. Yume deflecting both rounds of projectiles with a skillful wave of her whip.

'So the bitch is an Uchiha, huh?' the hooded woman thought to herself, quickly noticing her clear crimson eyes during the speedy exchange. 'Interesting.'

With a gentle flick of the wrist Yume's whip came down diagonally in a wicked slash. The woman dodged but was not swift enough; Fang biting into her cloak and tearing off a large portion from the bottom.

During her dodge the cloaked woman threw more senbon with keen accuracy; lethal shots if Yume wasn't adept with her whip.

Yume jumped and rolled to her left, not having enough time or room to block this assault. Immediately breaking into a sprint at her opponent after getting to her feet again, Yume had already separate her two weapons; baring Fang in her left palm.

Startled by the distance between them being closed so quickly the hooded woman pulled a kunai of her own to counter the incoming threat.

Yume, having already tied the whip back around her waist during her dodge, brought Fang down in a hard, rapid slash. The hooded woman brought her kunai up in a block that would have succeeded against a kunai of equal quality. The aeteralli blade tore through the cloaked woman's defense and cut into her shoulder; the deep gash drawing a decent amount of blood that splattered onto the stone floor.

Despite the wound being excruciatingly painful, the hooded ninja did nothing to show her agony and turned with Fang's impact; putting the injury farther from Yume. With the same motion she used her left arm to bring her hidden short-sword up at the Uchiha.

A sick, wet cracking sound reverberated softly against the cave walls as the sword broke its way through Yume's ribs and dug into her organs; penetrating her right lung.

"Ah-!" Yume gasped as she tasted her own blood. "Hh, no…" she whispered, shaking her head. "Urghnh- no…no, no…"

"Yes." the sadistic woman laughed as she pulled her weapon back and ferociously kicked her prey in the face. Careening two meters into the air from the impact, the poor Uchiha hit the stone with a horrendous crack. Walking up to the broken young woman, giggling as she took her precious weapon the cloaked ninja spat out, "thanks for this, you weak piece of shit. I'm supposed to lead Uchiha back to the group but… There's no way they would have accepted you anyway."

Yume laid on her back, unmoving. Quiet gurgling noises indicating her slow, choking death as blood filled her throat.

"Well I guess it's time to kill your friends." the woman said with a grin, silently making her approach on Yume's comrades.

Standing over the two sleeping jonin, the woman quickly slit Neji and Kiken's throats with Fang. The blade sliced through their flesh with ease, spilling their precious lifeblood onto the cave floor as the sudden wound awoke them, causing them to asphyxiate on their own fluids until they fell silent.

"Hehe, shit. Not even a challenge?" the murderer chuckled to herself as she grabbed the two bodies by their collars and drug them to the cavern's entrance. "Let's get a good look at you two. Where are you from…"

Reaching the entrance she dropped the bodies unceremoniously. Barely able to see much more than their silhouettes, the woman struck a flare and held it above her victims' faces.

The woman in the black cloak let out a ghastly scream at who she saw dead before her.

"Nanami? Hideo!" the woman cried out, realizing she had blindly murdered two of her comrades in the dark. "How?! Wh- how could this be?! I left you at the camp! _How could this be_?!"

"Reina." their voices groaned out of their throats, mouths ever still. "How could you…betray us? We needed you…"

"No! _No_ **!** " Reina screamed out in horror, palms around her mouth. "I wouldn't, I- I love you! You'll be okay, I'll take care- "

"I _hate_ you Reina." the body of Hideo spat out venomously, moving to lock eyes with the horrified kunoichi.

"You were always the weakest." Nanami's stale corpse gurgled.

"You know that it's true." a voice from behind her sputtered.

The voice she heard turned the blood under her skin to ice. The sight that met her eyes burned her insides as she turned her back to the entrance; pure fear tearing within as she watched her own corpse crawl to her.

"Your failure has doomed us all." her own corpse accused. "Why did you kill us Reina?"

" _I didn't_ do _this_ **!** " the woman shrieked out in sorrow, collapsing to her hands and knees as she screamed into her palms.

When Reina opened her eyes the terror only got worse. She let out a terrible cough before blood started violently gushing out of her own mouth. Gallons of the maroon liquid spilling out of her throat; all hopes of breathing gone. Within seconds the cavern was filled with the thick, hot fluid.

The blood was scalding and choked Reina further. She closed her eyes as she went under the surface, the shear pressure crushing her body as she burned. Resurfacing, the blood-soaked shinobi opened her eyes.

Suddenly she felt cold. Surveying her surroundings, she saw no more blood; no longer any glare from the red flare she used previously to review the features of the ninja she slaughtered. In fact, she was completely alone except for Yume who was standing before her. The sudden shift to chilling wind and lack of haunting visuals became severely overwhelming.

"Wha…" Reina mumbled in disbelief. "Buh- how are you…?"

Yume looked at the woman in disgust before viciously snapping her whip around Reina's body, Fang sinking hungrily into her right leg; eliciting a shout of anguish from the apparent sociopath.

"Do you seriously not know what just happened?" Yume asked in a bored manner, summing chakra in the background. "What about you 'loving' my _fellow_ clan members, huh? Wouldn't you know more about the sharingan?"

"No, I…" Reina whispered in disbelief, the force of being ripped back into reality from her hyper-real nightmare was too shocking for her senses. "Uchiha genjutsu."

"No shit." Yume snapped bleakly, slowly inching near her enemy. "Worked out for me though. I saw everything you just experienced and all I had to do was make eye contact with you."

"You know nothing…" Reina grunted from within the grasp of the whip, Yume watching with cautious indifference. "Come with me. Let me show you why we left Konoha."

"Nice try," the young Uchiha commented, bringing her hands to her lips, "but no thanks. *strong inhale* Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu)!"

Yume unleashed a torrent of superhot fire that heaved through the cavern, flying out far passed the outside of the cave. Biting off the jutsu, she allowed her eyes to adjust back to the darkness.

She approached the charred stone which was blistering hot under her combat sandals. In the center of where her fire-proof battle whip fell limp was a smoldering chunk of earth Reina had substituted with.

"Saw that coming." Yume sighed aloud, turning around. "I let her go on purpose Neji."

The Hyuga she addressed was leisurely approaching her with a calm demeanor as the moonlight started to shine in from the entrance of their hideout.

"I know." he replied smoothly, clear white eyes absorbing and reflecting the platinum lunar rays. "Now she'll tell them about you and your strength. Which is something we can possibly use to our adventure."

"I wonder how Rin-sensei is doing on her mission?" a melodic voice chimed in. Approaching footsteps, light and soft, revealed a sleepy kunoichi.

Ryu Kiken is a relatively small twenty-year-old, being four inches shorter than Uchiha Yume who's two years younger. The tiny girl boasted long, thick, curly bright green hair with ice-blue eyes, pointed ears, and two small horns on her head (roughly four inches long and two inches thick on the top of her head; curving smoothly toward the back) that reveal her clan of origin. With soft, angular features and a graceful smile that's commonly displayed, she easily gains favor among others. Hidden in her mouth lay two fang-like canines only visible when she laughs or smiles widely. Kiken wears a short leaf-green sundress with a black under-frill. The jonin wears no shoes and a ninja tool pouch bandaged to her left leg. She vaunts a perky bust and thick thighs; her pretty and petit appearance doing little to reveal the true power she possesses in her highly trained body.

"My guess is that Rin and Kakashi are looking into the ring-leaders while we coral the lieutenants." Yume replied with a shrug. "Fine by me."

"Regardless, we'll take what we came all the way out here for." Neji surmised, turning to go back to sleep. "Information."

"We'll get this all figured out Yume-chan! That lady will get hers." Kiken said cheerfully, running a delicate hand through her angel soft hair. "Go get to bed, I'll start my shift early."

"I'm fine, I just-"

"I insist." the small kunoichi interrupted with a curtsy. "Please get some rest."

"Fiine." Yume sighed, gathering her equipment. "Watch your feet lady, the floor is still hot."

"I will, thank you." Kiken said with a bright smile.

Turning around, the barefoot shinobi leapt elegantly over the soot covered stone, landing gently in the quickly freezing slush outside.

Kiken produced a small mat and took her seat under the falling snow, lazily stretching her arms and legs before leaning back on her hands and admiring the brilliant stars decorating the night sky.

"It's lovely out here."

 **Yamanaka Clan District; 12:11PM (Present Time)**

*knock knock knock*

"Yes?" a man in his mid-forties asked as he opened his front door, greeted pleasantly by a well-known ninja. "Hello Naruto-san. How can I help you?"

"Hello Inoichi-san. Do you know where I can find Ino?" **N** clone-one asked politely. "I've been assigned an S-ranked mission and I've chosen your daughter as my second cell member. Ino is a great fit for this mission."

"Oh I see. I'm sure she can be found at the training fields we share with the Nara and Akimichi clans." the dirty blonde man informed him, analyzing the boy with a veteran gaze. "Hey, Naruto-san."

"Thank yo- oh," **N** clone-one stammered mid-step, "yes?"

"Take care of my daughter." the Yamanaka clan head requeated in a serious yet respectful tone.

"Always do Inoichi-san." **N** clone-one replied with confidence.

*blip*

 **Huyga Estate; 12:12PM**

"Yes sir." Hinata replied to her father, aversely accepting his criticism on her form as she demonstrated an advanced Hyuga technique.

"More power in your thrusts. Keep your form tighter; your fingers should remain straight for full chakra expulsion." Hiashi advised, nonplussed with his daughter's less than happy disposition. "Hidiohari (violent needle) is delicate. You must learn it the correct way during training. This form requires intense focus."

'Then shut your loud mouth and let me focus!' Hinata screamed internally, her blank expression never betraying her emotions.

*bff*

Naruto's second clone appeared in a gust of wind and leaves.

"Yo." **N** clone-two greeted pleasantly, reminiscent of their genin instructor, "hello Hiashi-sama, hello Hinata-chan."

"Hello Naruto-san. What brings you here this afternoon?" Hiashi inquired smoothly, Hinata responding with a small nod.

"Hokage-sama assigned me an S-ranked mission and I need to choose two cell members." **N** clone-two explained coolly, undaunted by Hinata's gaze. "You are an obvious choice based on our combat history and precise teamwork. Your sensory capabilities add a keen advantage in the operation we will be undertaking. Are you up for it?"

"Yes." the perturbed kunoichi responded despite her less than happy attitude.

"Alright. It was great to see you again Hiashi-sama." **N** clone-two lied, returning his bored expression to his grumpy friend. "I'd like to leave promptly at 1:00PM, so please be ready at the gate within forty five minutes. I'll brief you there."

A burst of smoke as the clone dispelled left the Hyugas alone once more.

"See you soon father." Hinata stated, no longer providing efforts to hide her agitation as she vanished in a shunshin to prepare for her trip.

"Hm." Hiashi exhaled.

 **InoShikaCho Training Compound; 12:13PM**

"Shikamaru, this is your third break in the past fifty minutes!" an exasperated kunoichi whined, stomping her foot into the healthy grass.

"Constant taijutsu training is thirsty work, cut me some slack Ino." the pineapple haired ninja tried to reason with his long-term, female combat partner. "It's not like I'm going home."

"Just because it's Monday doesn't mean you need to be extra lazy!" Ino asserted, folding her toned arms across her purple clad bosom.

"Just because it's Monday doesn't mean you need to be extra troublesome…" Shikamaru grumbled, continuing to walk off the field towards the shade.

*bff*

A swirl of leaves revealed Naruto's first clone as he appeared from a shunshin.

"Hey Shikamaru, hey Ino." **N** clone-one greeted with a grin, better off than his other clone in terms of duty. "So it'd be great to catch up and talk about Saturday night but I've got a mission to run."

"Hey Naruto. Why are you here if you need to be on a mission?" Shikamaru questioned. "You must need team mates. I swear if you pick me…"

"Correct, but no Shikamaru. I didn't choose you for this mission." **N** clone-one admitted with a chuckle. Ino giggled in kind, "I chose the blondie. Are you up for it Ino-chan?"

"Definitely. I could use this time to field test an idea I've been coming up with." the womanly Yamanaka stated with a pleased smile. "I want to be the kunoichi to create a new technique for my clan. Plus high ranked missions are always a good source of experience and income."

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru grunted, laying down in the shade of a tree, his previous destination. "Too much work for me. Plenty of Nara clan jutsu to go around."

"Whatever. You… damn hobo." Ino teased, kicking him lamely in his belly. "So when do we need to group up? Who else did you pick? Or is it just us…?"

Involuntary tingling sensations erupted in the Uzumaki's lower abdomen, reacting to the end of Ino's hypothesis. Suppressed memories bloomed into fruition in his mind.

"Er, meet up at the gate ready-to-go in forty five minutes." **N** clone-one answered sternly, dispelling in a puff of smoke.

 **Konoha's Entrance Gate; 12:54PM**

The whisker marked Naruto sat in quiet meditation as he awaited the arrival of the team he elected, having sent a clone to notify his father of their immediate departure time.

The elite shinobi had been entranced in motionless concentration between Konoha's gates since he arrived shortly after finishing his meal at Ichiraku's. Although not currently gathering Natural chakra, the jinchuuriki is still accustomed to meditating with absolute focus. Despite this, Naruto is also able to keep in touch with his acute physical senses.

"Hey Hinata-chan." Naruto spoke, acknowledging his team mate's presence.

"Hello." Hinata replied blandly. "Who else have you chosen for our mission?"

"Did you get my note…?" Naruto asked in a confused tone, worried that he didn't win her favor back.

"I um…I did but I haven't opened it or- " Hinata started.

*hff*

A whiff of flowers revealed a battle-readied Ino.

"I'm all set and ready to go Naruto-kun!" the platinum blonde announced excitedly, turning her attention to the fellow kunoichi. "Oh, hi Hinata-chan…"

Hinata's pale eyes widened slightly at the newcomer, her muscles tensing in unconscious agitation.

"You chose Ino?" Hinata asked incredulously, doing little to hide her astonishment. 'Are you fucking kidding me…?'

Naruto opened his eyes slowly and swiftly got to his feet, turning calmly to face his female companions.

"I specifically selected both of you to create an efficient team for this S-ranked mission." Naruto explained calmly, removing his emotion from the equation. "You both have your roles to play and I could only choose from the ninja currently available in the village."

Ino shifted uncomfortably at the Hyuga's reaction, but quickly brushed it off.

"Look, any problems that you might have- pocket them _right now_." Naruto commanded coldly, pausing a while to allow the words to sink in. "That's an order. Follow me in silence for now, I will brief you on the road after you've had time to relax." he stated strongly, eyes locked hard with the Hyuga heiress. After a long moment Naruto turned his back to the disgruntled women.

"Hope you stretched, this is going to be a long one." Naruto finished as he crouched and broke out into a top tier shinobi-sprint.

 **End**

* * *

 **I CAN DANCE LIKE CARLTON NOW!**

 **HERE I COME ATHEON/CROTA/ORYX**

 **Please feel free to message me with any questions or concerns. I would LOVE to answer you!**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	8. Game Plan

**8**

 **-Game Plan-**

* * *

 _ **Twenty Years Ago**_

 _The tenth of October was a pleasant day and the Konoha jinchuuriki known as Uzumaki Kushina was expected to deliver her child on time. Sarutobi Hiruzen and his wife, along with Namikaze Minato, held a private conversation with the red haired woman that detailed the events of the evening._

 _Kushina was to give birth outside of the village within a protective barrier, guarded by Anbu Black Ops under direct order of Hiruzen. These precautions were erected due to the nature of female jinchuuriki's seals being severely weakened during child birth. Only Minato, Hiruzen's wife Biwako and an Anbu operative named Taji were to accompany her during the delivery process. All information centered on the birth of her child was kept top secret for her safety, and ultimately the protection of the village._

" _Congratulations," Biwako stated happily as she held the newborn child, "it's a healthy baby boy!"_

" _Haha!" Minato laughed with tears of joy, "Look at me, I'm a father!"_

" _Naruto…" Kushina whispered as Biwako handed her the small boy. "Haah, I finally get to meet you."_

" _Okay… Kushina!" Minato exclaimed from the strain of his invisible struggle against the Kyuubi beneath the seal. "I know you're exhausted from the birth, but we've gotta get the Kyuubi completely sealed!"_

" _Right…!" Kushina sighed in relief and pain, still smiling at her new, beloved son._

O O O

 _Minato grunted in exertion as the tailed beast roared from within Kushina, attempting to tear its way out._

" _Kushina, focus all of your chakra on the seal," Minato requested as he heaved more of his own chakra into the technique. "I'm going to close it now!"_

" _Okay!" Kushina panted in affirmation._

 _The passing moments seemed to be everlasting as the couple struggled to bout back the bijuu within Kushina while Minato fought against the immense power to lock the seal._

 _Much to their relief, the seal got easier to control the closer Minato got to securing it. After six grueling minutes they arose upon success._

" _We almost have it, Kushina!" Minato persisted in exhaustion, "We need one final push of our chakra… Ready!_ _ **Go!**_ _"_

" _Yes!" Kushina gasped, battling through the agonizing pain to focus her chakra on her abdominal seal. Finally, with a soft *zrp-sssts*, the Eight Trigrams Seal was finally closed tight once more._

" _Haah, thank goodness." Kushina sighed in relief, sweat drenching her weakened body. "We… We did it! Minato, we're parents! Hah, I can't wait..ff…"_

 _The newfound mother passed out quietly from exhaustion. Her body understandably needing rest from the strain of holding back the nine-tailed beast while giving birth to her first child._

" _Get your rest Kushina." Minato sighed, using a cloth to wipe sweat from her brow before picking up his new son._

" _Hey there, Naruto!" he said softly, admiring the blonde newborn. "I'm your father, ahah. You made your mother work really hard, so she's going to rest for now. But don't worry, she'll be up soon."_

 _Biwako tended to the unconscious Kushina as Minato took a seat on the floor, cradling the baby Naruto._

" _Taji." Minato called out._

" _Yes sir." the Anbu Black Ops shinobi answered, instantly appearing at his side._

" _Send word to Hiruzen. Let him know how everything went so he can stop worrying." Minato said with a smile, returning his attention to his son._

" _Yes sir!" Taji answered before creating a clone that departed in a blur. "My clone will send your message. I will remain with you however. Besides, I do not have it in me to leave my Hokage alone here in this state with his wife and child."_

" _Ah, thank you Taji-san." Minato said in tired appreciation. "Thank you very much."_

 _Taji departed with a bow, returning to his place guarding the cave's entrance._

 _After a few minutes, Biwako finished cleaning and redressing Kushina. Walking over to Minato, her work wasn't finished._

" _Excuse me Minato-san." Biwako said with a small smile, knowing he wouldn't want to give away his newborn child. "I'd like to clean him off and take his measurements. This won't take long."_

" _Oh, yes." Minato said, his disappointment obvious before he smiled and lifted Naruto up to her. "I understand Biwako-sama, thank you!"_

" _It will only be a few minutes." The older woman reassured, picking up the baby boy and bringing him to the table to finish her work with the child._

 _Minato moved to kneel before Kushina, holding her hand as she slept._

' _Great work Kushina.' Minato admired fondly, caressing her hair gently. 'You're a mother now.'_

 _The blonde Hokage regarded his wife with love and wonder in his eyes._

' _And I'm a father…'_

 **Present/6:16PM; Team Naruto**

It had been around three hundred ten minutes of pure, silent shinobi sprinting and tree jumping. Naruto was a very fast ninja who had a supremely high work ethic, and this traveling pace absolutely reflected his quality as an elite jonin. However, sprinting at close to top speed for more than five hours for any ninja can be tiresome.

Naruto could have gone on like this for a while longer, but his comrades were not used to this kind of pace, considering the distance. Noticing their silent physical strain, Naruto decided to bring the torture to an end. For now.

"Let's slow down." Naruto said, reducing his speed through the treetops as Ino and Hinata relaxed in hushed relief behind him. "We'll search for a safe place to rest."

"Yes sir." both females responded gratefully.

Coming up on a thick section of woods, Naruto guided their trajectory and led them to a condensed area of behemoth trees. Bringing his team to a halt on a branch four meters thick, Naruto quickly surveyed the area.

"Descend with me. Ready, go." Naruto directed as the three jonin leapt silently to the forest floor in a blur.

Taking a knee after landing, Naruto put a single finger to the ground and closed his eyes.

"Alright, there's no-" Naruto started.

"No one's around." Hinata stated calmly; Naruto turning to see her activated byakugan scanning every direction.

"Correct. Let's set a perimeter guard." Naruto instructed, shrugging off the interruption. "Silent traps only, fire is off limits. No need to burn the Land of Hot Water to the ground."

"Okay!" Ino shouted from her position behind one of the wooden walls as she set her wire traps around the three closely collected trees that surrounded them like gargantuan shields of oak. "It's hard to believe we're out of our land already. I've never traveled out of the Fire territory so fast before."

"I've been doing solo missions for the last several months." Naruto admitted with a light chuckle, focusing as he wrote fuinjutsu formula on tags meant for a protective barrier. "I'm sorry if I set too fast of a pace. Once we get to the Land of Iron we'll reel in our speed."

"Wait what?" Ino asked with a nervous laugh, leaping to the last tree as she finished her quickly prepared yet efficient wire trap system. "Sooo, one hour of rest then back to your super insanely fast travel-sprinting? You're worse than Lee…"

Hinata had been listening as she dutifully kept watch with her byakugan, and even the disgruntled Hyuga heiress couldn't help but grin slightly as she laid out her smoke traps.

"Yep!" Naruto answered with a grin. "C'mon, it's like a fifth of the distance we already traveled. We'll get there in about an hour."

"Ohhh boy…" Ino complained playfully. "Well, this is a good way to kick us into even better shape, huh Hinata?"

"I'm in shape." Hinata said blandly, expressionless as she didn't bother regarding her fellow kunoichi while she answered.

"You know what I meant…" Ino said, taking offence at Hinata's apparent disinterest. "What's your problem? Is this about the party, because I figured-"

"We'll talk about that another time." Naruto interjected as he set down his final barrier tag within his team mates' armed defenses. "For now we're going to have a mission brief, and go over our course of action."

"Got it." Hinata acknowledged, setting some wood down within a stone circle as the temperature started to fall; the mammoth trees allowing only a scarce amount of sunlight to reach the forest floor.

"Alright." Ino replied, meeting Naruto and Hinata in the middle of their camp, taking a seat as Hinata finished igniting her fire.

"As you might know, Kakashi and Rin are on a reconnaissance mission in the Land of Iron. Also, Neji is leading another scouting mission with Kiken and Yume in the Land of Tundra." Naruto explained, sitting down with a swing of his cloak as both women opened their own separate meals. "Their missions are linked, as they have similar goals."

The blonde jonin brought his right hand over his bandage 'belt' that displayed fuinjutsu formula. Activating chakra, Naruto's _Under the Glass_ scroll appeared in his hand in a puff of smoke; since he ended up marking and cataloguing the document into his Supply Gallery before leaving Konoha.

Naruto's Supply Gallery is a small room in his home with shelves stocked full of his fuinshuriken, standard shuriken, kunai, soldier pills, medical supplies, clothes, scrolls, ink and many other necessary ninja tools. All items have been marked and given a specific place so that Naruto may have instant access to anything he has stored. This significantly decreases the amount of items he needs to carry while also severely increasing the variety of items he has access to during missions. Likewise, it is a handy technique when retrieving thrown fuinshuriken by means of cutting down on combat-waste as well as time since he writes out and seals every custom fuinshuriken much like his father's special kunai.

"These are the names of some ninja suspected of sedition." Naruto explained, handing the scroll to Hinata who held it between herself and Ino. "Hokage-sama and the Konoha Intelligence Division believe these men and women are conspiring against our village. Reports show that it's possible these people feigned their own death/going missing and deserted the Leaf."

"These are the people daddy and I talked about." Ino said as she read the names on the list. "He's been showing me how our Intel Division operates lately, since I'll undoubtedly be working for them in the future." the blonde woman explained, taking a breath before she continued, "Daddy says these are just the grunts. That the real threats are still unknown."

"I've met a couple of these people…" Hinata added. "Disturbing. What could draw our own shinobi away like this?"

"We don't know yet." Naruto said, pulling out bottles of water for the group. "Despite this period of 'peace' the issues we've had with other villages might have left a sour taste in their mouths. We're also at the height of military strength, which only makes us more of a target."

"Power attracts…" Ino said with a thoughtful nod.

"But what village would be willing to go to war with us?" Hinata asked curiously. "You've made friends in most of the Hidden villages since you and Killer B started helping jinchuuriki. Other than what happened with the Suna (Hidden Sand) jinchuuriki…"

"Even though that was four years ago, the Sand is still bitter about it." Ino elaborated, recalling her time going through the event's record. "They view Naruto as the instigating factor that caused it all. They blame him for Shikaku going berserk on everyone and killing, er, supposedly killed Hideo's team."

"Several important Suna shinobi died trying to stop their jinchuuriki that day… it doesn't seem like they have forgotten." Naruto finished. "We still trade, but it's a tense exchange to say the least. No hope is left for our 'alliance' with them."

"Well from the reports I've read, Suna isn't even half as strong as we are." Hinata recalled, closing her packed lunch in thought. "Even if they were able to make a pact with Iwa (Hidden Rock), a move against us would force Kumo (Hidden Cloud) to intervene and, well…

"They'd be annihilated." Naruto surmised. "Even so, we could definitely take them both on our own. We have more than enough military strength."

"We still don't know what's making our Leaf shinobi defect though." Hinata said softly.

"There is someone who could still be problem…" Ino mentioned warily. "You know who I'm talking about?"

"No, who?" Hinata asked before noticing by the looks on her teams' faces that she was the only one out of the loop.

"Orochimaru." Naruto answered slowly. "Worst part is we know next to nothing about his intentions or whereabouts."

"So he's another variable." Ino concluded, putting her bento (boxed lunch) away. "I can't see what else he would want other than to destroy Konoha."

"You two think it's possible that he's gathered followers from the very village he wants to destroy?" Hinata asked, staring into the fire.

"From what we know, Orochimaru has a way of…gaining a strange loyalty out some people." Ino said in disgust, letting her long platinum hair out of her ponytail with a shake of her head. "We don't understand much other than what Anko has brought to the table."

"Well thankfully, our mission doesn't require us to deal with Orochimaru." Naruto said with a sigh. "Not directly, unless we encounter him. These people take priority. Our mission is to capture one of these traitors alive, and bring them back to the village for interrogation."

Both women quickly turned their attention to the young man before them.

"No wonder it's S-ranked…" Ino said quietly as she kept her attention on Naruto. "I see why you picked me for this. Yamanaka clan jutsu are fitting."

"I understand my role too." Hinata spoke up, landing eye contact with the blonde captain.

"You're the eyes and you're the net." Naruto summarized, referring to Hinata and Ino respectively. "I'm the one who keeps the mission under control. It's not going to be easy though. If we do find the people on this list, they'll most likely be stronger than when they went missing."

"I see." Ino said in thought, going over strategies in her head. "Eight traitorous grunts, huh… Let's hope we can pick one of them off individually."

"Do you know where to look?" Hinata asked prudently, hugging her knees as fear crept into her belly at the thought of fighting six rogue Uchiha plus two back up ninja, all from her own home. Flashbacks of Sasuke's strength only adding validity to her worries.

Naruto had worked personally with Hinata and Sasuke through his genin and chunin years. The three of them bonded closely, and knew each other very, very well. The Uzumaki easily picked up on Hinata's discomfort.

"Look you two." Naruto asserted with a confident grin spread on his face, standing up and crossing his arms. "We _will_ get one of these punks and we _will_ return to Konoha together. I have no doubts about it."

The two kunoichi exchanged a glance before regarding their team captain once more. He radiated nothing but confidence as he stood before them.

"I agree!" Ino exclaimed, her doubts easily flowing away at Naruto's reassurance. "We can do this. We didn't bust our asses to become jonin for nothing. Right Hinata?"

"Right." Hinata said, unable to keep herself from a small smile as she stood up with her team.

"Come on. We'll discuss strategies when we reach the boat." Naruto said as he walked away to dismantle his barrier, Ino and Hinata understanding as they went to retrieve the traps of their own. "Let's go catch ourselves a rogue ninja."

 _ **Six Years Ago**_

" _What?" Minato asked as he set down his tea, astonished at what his son just asked him._

" _I want to be the Kyuubi jinchuuriki." Naruto stated brazenly, holding his ground as his dad stood up. "I'm ready for it dad! I know about the seal's weakness, I don't want mom to have to bear that burden anymore. Besides, you'll need another bijuu host eventually right? Why not give it to somebody who's willing!"_

" _Woah Naruto, hold on." the shocked father said calmly, resting his hands on the teenager's shoulders. "Where is this coming from? How do you know all this?"_

" _Hmph…" Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms. "When I came back to pick up a fuinjutsu scroll that I forgot I overheard you and mom talking about it last week. About how she's gonna have to have my little sister in secret, somewhere outside of the Leaf…"_

" _I see…" Minato said quietly, understanding his son's feelings. "You wanted to be a part of it. You wanted to be there when Ayama is born."_

" _How could you not tell me?" Naruto said quietly, looking at the ground while he spoke. "We're a family, that's gonna be my sister, how could you not tell me?"_

" _It's dangerous Naruto." Minato comforted, bringing his son into his arms. "We can't risk the wrong people finding out. It's all to keep mom safe, as well as the village."_

" _I can't have babies dad." Naruto mumbled into his father's shoulder, stifling his swelling emotions._

" _Wha- " Minato said in surprise. "Well of course son, I-"_

" _I mean, my seal would never get weak." Naruto explained, taking a step back to look his father in the eyes. "It would be safer. You said it's dangerous right? That means every time you two give me a sibling you risk the safety of everyone in the Leaf."_

 _Minato was stunned at the young chunin's point, recalling the struggle he had when Naruto was born._

" _I'm strong dad. I can do this." Naruto asserted with a fire in his eyes. "It's been almost nine months, so she's due soon right? I'll do whatever it takes to prepare."_

" _Well," the Hokage said in thought, still trying to soak in what his son just enlightened. "A jinchuuriki's' term is actually ten months."_

" _Oh! So we have a whole month to train!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically._

" _Well no. Jinchuuriki die when their tailed beast is ripped from their bodies." Minato said thoughtfully. Noticing the confusion and shock on his son's face, he quickly clarified. "That doesn't mean this isn't possible! I just need a few days to figure out a fuinjutsu template and formula."_

" _How do you think you're going to do it?" Naruto asked, having been trained in fuinjutsu ever since he graduated to chunin two years ago._

 _Minato sat down slowly, and thought to himself for a moment as Naruto joined him at the table._

" _The seal will be weak. So actually removing the Kyuubi isn't the issue." the blonde man thought aloud, sipping his tea. "The problem will be transferring it to you safely, while also maintaining your mother's condition. Her powerful chakra is going to make this several times safer, but it's still going to be dangerous."_

" _But it'll be worth it, right?" Naruto apprehensively._

" _We can do this Naruto." Minato reassured, smiling at his worried son. "Your logic is sound. We won't have to worry about the seal weakening again if we have another child while on the same coin we won't have to find another bijuu vessel for a long time."_

" _Awesome! Will you let me know when you're ready?" Naruto inquired happily._

" _Of course, but for now you should probably get ready for that mission I assigned you." Minato suggested with a sly grin. "Wouldn't want to keep your team waiting would you?"_

" _Oh man I almost forgot!" Naruto said before realizing who he was holding up. "It's a weird match up don't you think?"_

" _It's only one different person Naruto." Minato laughed, "Don't be so impatient, Hinata needs to develop her own clan techniques just like you and Sasuke."_

" _Yeah but me, Sasuke and Sakura...?" Naruto complained lamely. "That's just weird."_

 **End**

* * *

 **EVERY. VILLIAN. IS. LEMONS.**

 **otherwise known as**

 **JOHN CENA!  
!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	9. Kyuubi Jinchuuriki

**9**

 **-Kyuubi Jinchuuriki-**

* * *

 _ **Saturday 7:14AM, February 21** **st** **; Six Years Ago**_

 _It was a crisp morning for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sun hung low in the sky while bountiful amounts of feathery clouds did their best to slow the coming of day._

 _Uzumaki Naruto laid on his back in a thoughtful daze, dim light creeping through the windows of his corner room._

 _He had stayed this way since he awoke forty minutes ago. He was restless as he knew this was the day his pregnant mother was due. It was the day Naruto ceased to be an only child._

 _He did recognize that these estimations were not always accurate. Regardless, he could not help but feel anxious. The time he has been training for was finally upon him. Naruto inhaled and sighed deeply as he closed his eyes in profound thought. 'I'll be okay. We'll all be fine, I'm ready. Me and dad haven't been training all this time for nothing. Don't worry mom. You're definitely safe with us.'_

 _"Naruto."_

 _The familiar voice caused a whirl of emotional activity for Naruto. He knew what this meant, and it sent his mind and heart racing a million miles a minute._

 _"Yes?" Naruto answered, sitting up as he turned to his father, fully aware of the significance of his quick and silent entry._

 _"I'm bringing your mother to the safe-house." Minato explained serenely as he crouched beside Naruto's bed. "Get ready and meet up with us as soon as you can."_

 _The Uzumaki heir nodded in acknowledgement as fear skulked into his belly._

 _"Naruto." the patriarch called out, drawing the teenager from his terrified thoughts with a warm smile. "Don't be afraid, we've worked hard for this. I know we can do it."_

 _The young blonde boy slid off of his bed and embraced his father, biting back emotions as he needed to focus on surviving the future prospect of transferring one of the legendary bijuu._

 _"Yes." he agreed with rigor, fears subsiding to a degree. "Let's go get my sister."_

 _ **Safe-house; Seconds Later**_

 _A flash of yellow blinked within Kushina's room as Minato teleported to her side._

 _"I'm here Kushina." Minato said soothingly. "Naruto is following behind shortly. Before we start I'd like you to recite the plan."_

 _"I know the plan…" Kushina said gruffly, eyes locked with her husband's until she gave in. "*sigh* Fine, I understand. First- "_

 _"I'm here!" Naruto exclaimed as he appeared in a whirl of leaves. "Is everything okay? Am I late?"_

 _"You're right on time Naruto." Minato said with a pleasant laugh, turning back to his wife. "Your mother was just going to explain the plan, just so we're all clear. It's especially important for you to explain it Kushina, because you're going to be in the most pain. Pain that makes it rather hard to think, so we must be sure you understand thoroughly."_

 _"Oh okay. Hello Biwako-sama, hey Rin-senpai!" Naruto said with a wave, greeting the two women standing by to help. "I'd love to talk, but we've gotta focus for now."_

 _"It will all be fine." Biwako reassured. "Your own birth went by without a hitch, as will your little sister's."_

 _"I'm on guard this time around though." Rin said with a delighted smile. "As soon as the little princess is out and the transfer is complete I'll start tending to your mother and her condition."_

 _"Yes, and I'm so glad it's you Rin." Kushina agreed, relaxing as her contraction ended. They were steadily quickening in pace. "Ah- okay. Let's get this out of the way already." she said lamely, inhaling quietly before continuing._

 _"First we prepare our bodies, which we've done. I've trained on focusing chakra through my seal, you've worked on the formula and transfer technique while Naruto has done the same as me with his own empty seal." Kushina explained, rubbing her hefty belly that broadly displayed her black seal formulations. "Hmm. As little Ayama starts to enter the world, you two keep the Kyuubi in check. Once Biwako-sama gets her out, we start the transfer process right away. The- ow! Ah…damn it."_

 _"Her contractions are shortening." Biwako warned casually. "It'd be best to hurry Hokage-sama."_

 _Minato nodded in agreement before Kushina continued._

 _"Ah, alright. So once she's out we get to the transfer. This is the part that sucks…" the red headed woman pouted, foreseeing the agony that awaited her. "To transfer safely I gotta focus all of my chakra on keeping my seal stable until you two are finished."_

 _"Exactly." Minato affirmed, resting his left hand on her cheek before looking up at Naruto who stood to her right. "Once you're done helping me handle the Kyuubi while your sister is being born you're going to sit on the second bed like we talked about. That's when things get deadly." he elaborated, eyes staring up in thought._

 _"Once you two are aligned, I will lay the scroll I made between you and use all three of our chakras to perform the Fuin Tenso no jutsu (Sealing Transfer jutsu)." Minato finished, caressing his wife's hair gently. "Is everyone clear?"_

 _"Yes." Kushina answered, shutting her eyes as she quietly handled the pains racking her body._

 _"Tell me again, dad." Naruto asked, before he saw the need to be more specific. "How does the Fuin Tenso work?"_

 _"Oh, well it operates as a tunnel in a way." Minato explained thoughtfully. "It's a seal with two open points. I set each open section against both of your seals and use a stitching formula that connects the 'tunnel' to you and mom, keeping the Fuin Tenso tighter and more secure. The final step is to unlock your seal before hers to release the Kyuubi. Its chakra will have nowhere else to go but right into you."_

 _"Hm, okay…" Naruto accepted, breathing steadily as he mentally prepared himself to house the entirety of the nine-tailed beast within him. "So I become a big brother, mom and I face each other sitting up, then you connect us together with Fuin Tenso. Once it's secure, her and I focus on keeping our seals under control while you unlock me then unlock mom, which releases the bijuu that is directed straight into the seal on my belly. Did I miss anything?"_

 _"Only that your seal happens to be stronger than your mother's since I was able to make adjustments from the old template." Minato admitted with a smile. "But remember that it is a great deal of powerful chakra. It is going to be strange and painful for you, and you may also feel like you're burning up. Just expect the discomfort, that will make it easier. Don't worry, you'll do great."_

 _"No doubt dad, you're awesome." Naruto said matter-of-factly. "I trust you."_

 _"Ahah, thank you Naruto." Minato chuckled, rubbing the back of his head humbly before Kushina let out a painful groan. "Are you alright?" he asked with worry, lifting her right hand within his._

 _"Agh..nnh, yes!" the encumbered matriarch replied through clenched teeth, sweat shining on her brow. "This child needs to come out of me damn it…"_

 _Biwako took it upon herself to check her dilation, noticing Kushina's might wavering against the onslaught of terrible maternal pains heightened by the pressure of behemoth chakra._

 _"Oh, well don't worry, she will." the elder lady said after a moment of inspection, deciding that it was time to begin. "Okay Kushina, get ready. This will be over soon."_

 _Ayama turned out to be more difficult than her brother was. The little girl seemed to be working against Biwako at every turn, starting off sideways and waving her little hands diagonally. However, after a very long half hour of Kushina's excruciating pains and pushes she began to make her way into the world._

 _The very air itself seemed to tremble and heat up as the Kyuubi shuddered against the loose seal that Minato and Naruto were working to keep closed._

 _"Okay Kushina, I see her head!" Biwako shouted. "Breathe- ready? Now push!"_

 _With a few final screams and pushes a tiny cry revealed a new baby girl entering the world._

 _"She's perfectly healthy." Biwako said with a smile, allowing Kushina a small chance to gaze on her second child. "Look fast, there's still the Kyuubi for them to deal with."_

 _"Quickly!" Minato commanded as Naruto removed his black night shirt in a single motion to sit before Kushina as Rin and Minato rotated her bed on its center axis pillar to face the anxious boy._

 _After quickly aligning his wife and son, Minato unfurled a large scroll between the single meter of space between them._

 _"Focus your chakras Naruto, Kushina!" Minato directed as his own energies swelled greatly. "This is it!"_

 _"Yes sir!" Naruto shouted as his mother groaned in acknowledgement, the Kyuubi's roars almost perceptible as the beast within Kushina sent deep vibrations through the entire area._

 _Finally, the Fourth Hokage blazed through twenty nine hand seals before extending his right palm and shouting, "Fuin Tenso no jutsu!"_

 _Dozens of black, two-dimensional fuin-chains sprung from the center of the scroll to latch onto both Kushina's seal and Naruto's, with the middle of the forming 'tunnel' still within the scroll._

 _The black tendrils rapidly rotated clockwise about the seal's edge, growing taut as more fuin-chains whipped from the scroll, connecting onto each host. After a few moments the center of the Fuin Tenso lifted entirely out of the scroll, connecting Kushina and Naruto tightly. The jutsu finally took on a tunnel-like form as it rotated ever faster, creating a harsh gust and a deep whirring sound._

 _Minato raced through seven more hand seals, causing a dense ring to encase each end of the jutsu against the mother and son. The two dimensional lace weaved in and out of the tunnel and the two subjects, firmly fastening the technique._

 _"Okay, concentrate!" Minato shouted over the Fuin Tenso. "I'm going to unlock Naruto now! Immediately afterwards I'm going to release the Kyuubi! Ready?!"_

 _Both past and future Kyuubi jinchuuriki nodded in agreement, handling their current duties with relative ease._

 _"Now!" Minato yelled as he thrust his left palm toward the violently rotating Fuin Tenso causing it to swirl faster while becoming denser, using his right hand aimed at Naruto's belly to unlock his empty seal._

 _Switching hands again, Minato aimed his left hand at the seal on Kushina's belly. With a grunt of effort, Minato turned his hand with the focused seal, fully unlocking the barrier that had kept the nine-tailed beast subdued for decades._

 _Before a millisecond could pass, a boundless surge of fiery orange and red chakra erupted from Kushina and ferociously rushed into Naruto. The bursting chakra was only visible through trivial gaps in the Fuin Tenso._

 _"Ahkh!" Naruto yelled in pain and effort as the Kyuubi's chakra slammed into him. "Kkggnhh.."_

 _"Haah!" Kushina gasped as the torrent of chakra escaped her, struggling to stay conscious as she preserved the integrity of the fuinjutsu on her belly._

 _Minato groaned under his breath, holding his own against the sheer weight the Kyuubi had thrown on the chakra vortex. "Ugh, keep it up!"_

 _The bijuu's roar became audible and warped as the sound escaped through the elite chakra suppressing jutsu._

 _The bursting energy of the tailed beast raged against the jutsu's walls, making an attempt to overload the threshold and break free. Suddenly, with only ten percent of the beast's chakra transferred, the creature heaved an insurmountable surge of itself forth in an effort to overwhelm the humans and break through. Supreme swells of power stretched the seams, threatening to break the technique and release the colossal being._

 _"Urgh!" Minato strained against the power of the demon fox, struggling to maintain the veracity of the seals. "Keep fighting, the safety of Konoha depends on this!"_

 _"Yes!" Kushina replied, breathing heavily from the exertion as dark spots dotted her vision._

 _"We've got this…" Naruto reassured with grit teeth as he fought to stay conscious through the torrent of incoming energy. "I won't give up!"_

 _After a rough seventy seconds, the Kyuubi's upwelling of chakra subsided and returned to the original steady flow. The beast's labors to break free did nothing but speed up the process. The bijuu no longer willed to fight as more than most of its power was already trapped within Naruto._

 _After another eleven minutes of agonizing concentration from the three ninja, the hateful fox was almost completely within its new host._

 _"Alright, get ready you two." Minato panted, drenched in sweat and exhausted from the strain of the battle. "We're almost there. Once the remaining chakra enters Naruto I will seal him and end it!"_

 _After another short moment Minato felt the last of the Kyuubi coming from Kushina. With his left palm pointed at her belly, the Hokage closed his fist as the remains of the furious energy entered Naruto, causing the pitch-black jutsu to close and pull off of the red headed woman. At which time Rin intervened to provide medical attention to the heavily chakra depleted and entirely fatigued mother._

 _Minato quickly threw his left fist downward, bringing the closed end of the spiraling tunnel-like jutsu back into the scroll to prevent the beast from leaking back out. No longer receiving chakra, the Eight Trigram Seal locked down automatically before Minato guided the rest of the Fuin Tenso back into its place of origin._

 _An exhausted Naruto didn't have time to appreciate the victory before he fell forward in enervation, gripping his sweltering midsection. Swiftly catching his son, Minato pulled the boy down from his chair and took a seat on the floor._

 _"Good job Naruto." the tired Hokage praised. "I'm proud of you."_

 _"Th- thanks dad." the teenager sighed, breathing hard with heavy eyelids. "I'm…having a hard time staying awake."_

 _"It's safe now, we did it." Minato assured coolly. "Go ahead and rest. And congratulations, you are now the Kyuubi jinchuuriki by demand."_

 _"Mom's safe now." Naruto mumbled quietly, drifting in and out of consciousness. "Konoha is too. They're all safer, that's what matters…"_

 _"Absolutely. Rin?" Minato entreated as Naruto fell limp in his grasp. "Could you please send Jiraiya in?"_

 _"Yes!" Rin answered from her position above Kushina's medical bed before vanishing in a shunshin._

 _A moment passed before Rin appeared beside her red headed patient again as the legendary white-haired sannin entered the room._

 _"Ah, Minato." Jiraiya's deep voice echoed exuberantly as he approached with the signature clacking of his geta sandals. "Congratulations, you just made history on this lovely Konoha morning! Hell, you made ninja history just now! Well done."_

 _"Hah, thank you Jiraiya-sensei." the sannin's only significant student replied in tired appreciation. "Would you-"_

 _Before the Hokage could finish his request, the large man with lifted Naruto gently before placing him on his own medical bed._

 _"They're going to need their rest." Jiraiya whispered equably. "You should probably get some sleep too. Playing tug-of-war with a bijuu in a finger trap is nothing to toss aside."_

 _"I will." the fatigued shinobi acquiesced, grinning at his former teacher. "Biwako, I'm going to sleep here with my family. But before I pass out, please let me see my daughter."_

 _"Of course Hokage-sama." the elderly lady lifted the sleeping baby out of her temporary cradle and brought the child to her father._

 _"She's beautiful." Jiraiya admired as he set a bedroll for Minato between the two medical cots Kushina and Naruto occupied. "Come rest when you're done. I'll stand guard while Rin manages your conditions."_

 _Minato nodded in affirmation as he relocated to the bedroll with Ayama held closely in his arms._

 _"Hello beautiful." Minato whispered fondly. "Welcome. We have all been very excited to see you. I have to rest for now, but we will have time together soon."_

 _Motioning for him after a couple minutes, Jiraiya approached Minato and lifted the brand new Uzumaki smoothly into his hulking arms._

 _"Thanks again…" Minato mumbled drearily, laying his head down on the pillow before rapidly falling asleep._

 _'Hm. Rest well you three.' Jiraiya thought to himself tranquilly, uncharacteristically cooing at the sleeping baby in his embrace. 'You've earned it.'_

 **Present/7:31PM; Team Naruto**

After roughly an hour of Naruto's killer sprinting pace, the three jonin reached their destination - the docks of a small fishing village at the southernmost end of the Land of Hot Water. Passing through the civilians undetected, the trio boarded an armored sea vessel hidden behind abandoned shacks at the docks furthest south.

The sail boat was just over eight meters long, and was reinforced beyond fishing standards with metal plates encasing the bottom and sides. There were also small steal walls one meter across on rolling hinges that appeared to lift up as a sort of guard; these frequented thrice on the port and starboard sides, with one for the bow and aft as well.

Getting positioned on the boat, Hinata stood watch at the captain's wheel while Ino assisted Naruto in cutting the ship loose and preparing the sails. After a small while, the coast became a faint outline on the horizon with tiny lights of civilization meagerly seeping through the darkness.

"Alright, we're clear. We can speak freely again." Naruto insured his team. "We'll be passing through the edges of Kiri (Hidden Mist) territory soon."

"I like the boat." Ino admitted, admiring the defensive features. "It definitely feels safer to be attacked in." she finished with a small laugh.

"Naruto, why are we passing through Kiri territory?" Hinata inquired, byakugan fully activated as she scanned the horizon. "Why risk our stealth mission with the Mist?"

The blonde jonin sat at the captain's chair near the center of the boat, Hinata having relocated to the back. Crossing his arms, he turned his full attention to the disgruntled Hyuga.

"While this is a stealth op, and we must exercise utmost caution, the urgency of the assignment would be compromised by going in any other direction." Naruto explained, focused on shutting down her doubt. "Traveling below the Blaze country island north of Kiri's territory is significantly faster than going north over it."

"Once we pass that large island, we have a straight shot to the Land of Iron." he continued after a small nod from Hinata. "We'll sail east, along the coast that faces south until we hit the southwest side of the territory. By then Hokage-sama will have received more information on the conditions of Team Kakashi and Team Neji. He will contact me through our shared toad summons, and we'll move on from there."

Ino nodded in acknowledgement, sitting on the starboard railing while she looked up at the starry sky. "I hope we don't run into any trouble. Capturing one of those traitors is going to be enough work as it is."

"I agree." Hinata added as she took a seat leaning against the lowered steal guard. "Still, we have to be prepared. It's not unlikely."

"I'm sure we can handle whatever comes our way." the captain boasted, slightly guiding the ship eastward. "You two can rest when you need to. I'll take first shift."

"Yes sir." the women replied together.

 **Five Hours Later**

Naruto felt he had been staring into the darkness for an eternity. Nothing of interest happened while the ladies slept, except for a pod of dolphin that paid him a rather pleasant visit for a short while before darting off suddenly.

Otherwise, the sleepy ninja was overwhelmingly bored. The whiskered jonin was about to summon a few documents detailing his mission and its subjects before he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, the team captain was met with two beautiful, sea foam colored eyes.

"Hey." Ino greeted softly, looking up at the dark waves ahead before returning her attention to the shinobi below her. "It's shift change. Go get sleep."

Naruto nodded before he sauntered to the bedroll the Yamanaka had slept in, too tired to think anything as he curled up and quickly passed out.

Ino had her eyes on the Uzumaki while he left, and giggled to herself when she saw him use her bed. The golden kunoichi turned from her captain and took a seat at the wheel, lazily arching her back in a stretch as she yawned.

'I hope I can get Naruto alone soon.' the picturesque woman thought to herself as she scouted keenly over the water while making sure she didn't sense more than three chakra signatures. 'I need to ask him to let me explain the party bullshit. I can't have Hinata mad at me like this…'

Then a small thought occurred.

'Sigh. Hinata's my friend, but…' the telepathic girl wondered. 'This is a little ridiculous. What if I did like Naruto? That wouldn't be fair for her to just hate me. Besides, what's there not to like about him?' she reasoned with herself, moonlight glistening off her platinum hair as she brushed it.

'After all he's the Hokage's son, he's really strong and pretty smart too. He's no Shikamaru, but he's no Choji either.' Ino esteemed, drifting in thought. 'He is pretty handsome… Alright, settle down Ino. Everyone knows Hinata is the one with the thing for him. I guess she earned it anyways, working on Team 7 with him.'

'But what does that matter?' the Yamanaka asked herself, conflicted emotions stirring her internal battle as she pondered. 'If someone else wants him they shouldn't have to give up just because she likes him too, right? It's not like she's really put much effort into showing him.'

Taking a deep, steady breath she attempted to clear her foggy mind.

'Stop Ino, this isn't going to do any good.' the woman thought as she ran delicate fingers through her long, soft hair; sifting it into a ponytail. 'You don't like Naruto anyways, what's the point?'

She stopped moving for a moment, caught in a small trance as her feelings swirled and collided. '...Right?'

"Hey hey, aren't you a pretty one?" a man's voice inquired gleefully, apparently struggling to hold back a bout of laughter. "What lovely hair you have."

Yamanaka Ino is a shinobi to be reckoned with. The Hokage's son, a born and raised leader, made sure of it as he pushed all of his friends to their highest potential throughout the years. But the young woman was still human, and therefore she was subject to instinctual fears.

So when the sudden presence of a being with crushingly immense chakra gets the jump on her, fear is the first emotion to rage down her spine and ignite devastating paralysis throughout her body.

Ino feared for her comrades. However, she had trained insufferably hard to rank up to jonin with the rest of her classmates. Reflecting on her comrades gave her strength, motivation she needed as she mustered the courage to turn around and rise to her visitor. Now able to witness that the large man casually squat on the aft railing.

The half-moon did little to reveal his features, but Ino could see that his skin was a dark color of some sort, unlike the ninja of Kumo. She noticed strange gill markings on his cheeks, as well as a headband reigning in his dark, wet hair.

But his most significant feature, other than his chilling voice and terrifying chakra, was the massive sword wrapped in bandages that he brandished across his back.

The man was shirtless, only wearing what looked like tore up shinobi pants. Ino's senses were telling her to attack or scream for help; to do something fight or flight. A sick burning sensation raged in her belly while she searched for a way to secretly alert her exhausted friends to the immediate threat.

"Aw, what's wrong?" he inquired falsely, recognizing the familiar look of awe and horror spread across her features, his razor sharp teeth shining in the moonlight as he grinned widely. "Did I startle you?"

 **End**

* * *

 **BOOM**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	10. Veiled in Snow

**10**

 **-Veiled in Snow-**

* * *

 **Nine Hours Earlier, 3:43PM; Team Neji**

The Land of Tundra lived up to its name as Hyuga Neji guided his small team through the blistering snow. The shinobi squad rested until six in the morning after the late-night assault, at which time they departed to continue the hunt of the Konoha rogues; now with a specific vendetta against the woman named "Reina", who attacked Uchiha Yume the previous night.

The stoic Hyuga perused the landscape with his acute byakugan, rarely gathering hints of their aggressor's trajectory as they pushed their way over the dense, knee-deep snow. They had continued their watch shifts as planned despite the rude interruption, getting ample rest to drive them north through the tundra toward their retreating enemy.

All three ninja wore thick, white cloaks that did well to blend their presence in with the rest of the snowy storm.

After many hours, Neji caught on to a fain trail that led north. As the shinobi cell prepared to leave for the chase, Yume fully debriefed Neji and Kiken on all that she had seen and learned from within the sharingan genjutsu she performed on the hooded assailant.

While being something of a 'late bloomer' within the elite Uchiha clan, Yume's pride in strength of mind and body led her to push her boundaries and become a young jonin at the age of eighteen. The prodigy proved to be highly adept with the use of genjutsu, even causing whispers among her clan that suggested she rivaled or even superseded Itachi's capabilities in the field.

Although Yume had the situation with her ambush under control, Neji had advised her that it was unwise to be so arrogant fighting alone as they packed their things and started for the pursuit.

Now the three ninja plodded over the heavy powder to hunt the enemy they were meant to recon; having traced their path through several abandoned asylums in the Land of Tundra before the lone enemy previously showed up on their figurative doorstep. It had been hours, and the trail grew more faint by the minute.

"I wonder if it's nice here," Kiken commented lightheartedly over the wind, "you know, when it's not all blizzardy?"

"Why?" Yume asked with a grin, treading alongside the barefoot girl to her right. "Thinking about finding a summer home out here?"

"Sure, why not?" Kiken continued, her ice blue eyes reflecting sincerity. "That'd be neat. Maybe I can get a nice spot on the eastern beaches!"

"Aww, so you'd leave poor Unzari and I all alone at home?" Yume complained teasingly, making a pout face at her long-term comrade.

"Yes!" Kiken jeered with enthusiasm. "Every summer! There's plenty of friends back home, you know that. Plus, if you were to come with me who would be there to guard Sasuke against unworthy lovers…?"

Yume's face reddened at the jab toward her crush on the elder shinobi elite. "Shut up!" she blurted out in a hushed manner as her dark eyes darted toward their captain. "Don't talk about that!"

"Fine, fine. I won't mention your crush on Sasuke." Kiken said mercifully, still feeling playful. "But does that mean I can talk about your crushes on Itachi and his friend? What about Naruto or –"

"Shhsh!" the Uchiha demanded through clenched teeth as she put the smaller kunoichi in a headlock, covering her mouth with her left hand. "I'll kill you, leave it alone!"

Neji turned a pale-eyed glance toward the commotion behind him, but ultimately decided it was harmless as he continued to march forward, ceaselessly skimming the area with his dojutsu.

Kiken looked up into Yume's onyx eyes before giggling behind her hand and licking it, opening her jaw in an attempt to bite the Uchiha.

"Ah!" Yume exclaimed, continuing to blush as she quickly removed her palm and rubbed her cold, licked hand on Kiken. "Gross, you little elf!"

Kiken laughed quietly, thoroughly enjoying her time toying with the Uchiha. "Grrr, hehehe." the draconic girl provoked, sticking her tongue out.

"Hey." Neji's voice demanded from ahead of the kunoichi, interrupting their little fiasco. "Let's break for camp, I need to update Hokage-sama on the information Yume gathered. In addition, it won't do us any good to pursue this 'Reina' any further. She is likely heading to her companions who could possibly out-power us. It would be sensible to await reinforcements."

"Yes sir." Kiken responded alongside Yume.

"Wait, reinforcements?" the tall Uchiha questioned curiously. "Who's the back up?"

"Uzumaki Naruto." Neji informed her, pulling the hood of his cloak down. "His mission is a vague and combined version of ours and Kakashi's. He will be assisting us with the team he prepared should we request it. They should already be on their way." he elaborated looking back toward the enemy's direction.

Kiken snickered quietly, eliciting an elbow from her flushed team mate at the mention of the Uzumaki.

"I don't like that we were found and attacked so boldly." Neji continued, staring into the expansive wasteland. "Something feels off."

The jonin stood in silence for a moment, quietly reflecting on the details of Yume's minor ambush. They had been covering their tracks expertly and were not even the first to make contact with the suspects they themselves were tracking. It happened in the reverse, which greatly irritated Neji.

"Kiken, since it would be time consuming to find another natural cave to rest in, please create a cavern right here with your earth release." Neji directed, motioning to a space behind him.

Kiken nodded and blazed through four hand signs before slapping her palms together, interlocking all fingers in the mi (snake) seal before the earth shook and a hole engulfed the snow beside the three ninja.

"All set." Kiken informed with a smile. "C'mon!" she insisted, hopping in swiftly.

After Yume and Neji landed in the artificial hollow, Kiken rose a stone pillar up into the entrance that blocked it off from possible intruders.

After a second, Yume struck a match and lit a durable lantern from her pack. "Nice work." She commented, casually looking across the sixteen by ten meter room the Ryu ninja made.

"Thanks!" Kiken accepted brightly, laying her mat down to sit on. "Sooo taichou, how are you going to send a message to Konoha from here?"

"Hokage-sama developed a special scroll a few years ago." Neji answered, pulling out said item as he removed his snow covered cloak to dry. "This specific scroll has two other copies. Each of which are held by Kakashi and Hokage-sama."

Unfurling the paper, Neji continued. "Everything written and done to one of the copies is applied to the other two. Whether I write on or rip the paper, the other synchronized copies are going to obtain identical physical affects. This is useful for instant communication, with no regard for distance or location as well as discarding sensitive information thoroughly."

"Oh, that is really cool." The green haired kunoichi commented, nonchalantly eating a rice cake she produced from her bento. "Tell Minato-sama I said hi!"

"But why did we bother to send a messenger owl before, when we sent the emergency report about our concerns with the power of these rogues?" Yume asked bewilderedly, stealing a juice box from Kiken who shrugged before the Uchiha took a seat beside their team captain.

Neji sighed, knowing he'd have to reveal information he had kept from his team. "It was at the last abandoned base that we found two days ago. While we were investigating the structures, I came upon a room that appeared to have been an old shower hall modified into a laboratory."

"I remember." Kiken said with puffed cheeks, courteously swallowing her rice before continuing. "The three of us scoured every inch of that smelly place."

"Yes, well... If you compare the markings created by the absence of the equipment to some of Konoha's classified files you would see a close match." Neji finished, taking a seat as he laid out his special scroll. "It is reminiscent of the set up Orochimaru used when he experimented on our Leaf shinobi decades ago. The people we're hunting down are somehow associated with our villages greatest rogue ninja"

Silence filled the room as the two young ninja absorbed the alarming information. Going up against so many strong ninja who used to be allies, and now a legendary sannin was added to the mix.

"So to answer your question Yume, I went out of my way to get a messenger owl from the closest post center to feint our enemies." He went on, fetching ink and brush from his pack. "If they were watching, I wanted them to see us sending for help. I want them to know we aren't alone."

"But we're really far from home." Kiken thought aloud, removing her own cloak before brushing her soft, thick hair. "Why wouldn't they immediately try to destroy us if they saw you sending a message home?"

"It was a gamble." Neji admitted, looking up at the horned kunoichi. "I sent the owl in the Samurai's direction so it would appear that we had allies closer than the village. If they were to engage we would simply run north, where in reality we _do_ have help in Kakashi and Rin."

"That makes sense." Yume agreed, nodding as she polished her curved, white blade; Fang. "So now you're informing Kakashi and Hokage-sama about the Reina woman?"

"I am writing out the report." Neji answered with a nod as he dutifully continued to transcribe the new information Yume gathered. "Tell me again what she looked like, please." He requested after another few moments. "I finished her psychological profile summary."

"Of course." The tall woman responded, looking up in thought with the wickedly sharp blade resting in her lap, glimmering brightly against the dancing flame. "I could only see her through her own warped memories since I wasn't able to study much of her during our brief exchange. From what I gathered within my genjutsu she was kind of beautiful…she had goldish eyes, darker skin. She had short messy hair, silver I think. And she was shorter than me, but still slightly taller than our leafy elf." She finished with a smirk, gesturing toward Kiken.

"Thank you." Neji said, writing down Reina's description. "I don't know if Kakashi has requested Naruto already, but I informed Hokage-sama that we were interested in joining cells with him if Kakashi and Rin have their situation under control."

"Ahh, okay." Kiken accepted, taking her last juice box from her pack. "So what should we do in the meantime?"

"We'll stay here until nightfall." The Hyuga stated, rolling up his trans-dimensional scroll. "Then we'll continue the mission. In the report I included the probable trajectory of the enemy, as well as our pursuit path, possible detours and fallout rendezvous locations."

"Sounds like the bases are covered." The barefoot kunoichi stated, quietly sipping her drink before letting out a small sigh. "After we set up defenses for the evening, can I take a nap?"

Yume giggled as she glanced at their passive captain. Neji stared into her coolly as an unconscious grin lifted his cheeks.

"Please!" The Ryu woman exclaimed, quickly running through some hand sings that caused their room to shake violently for a moment before the walls grew still once more. "I descended us forty meters into the ground! It was loud cause I rushed, but…" she shifted coyly, hoping Neji would give her the go ahead.

"Yes Kiken, go ahead and get rest. You too Yume, since you were the one who used those eyes last night." Neji confirmed, unable to shake the amused smile from his complexion.

"Yay!" the fanged ninja celebrated, skipping over to the far end of the cave. "I call this corner!" she declared, laying out a sleeping mat before she pulled off her sundress in a single motion.

Neji, who had simply been observing the excited jonin with Yume, suddenly looked away with a light blush pinking his face.

"Haha, what?" Yume teased, noticing Neji's quiet discomfort at the girl's toplessness. "Never seen a woman undress before?" she jeered, turning back to Kiken who was only wearing tiny, tight black ninja shorts as she patted her bedroll before sitting on it to finish disrobing.

"I uh- no, it's impolite to stare at someone who's not dressed." Neji stammered, mentally noting his flustered state.

"Unless they want you to." Yume admitted softly, looking back at Neji with a fiendish grin. "Don't worry, she's always been that way. She just doesn't care or think twice about it. She obviously knows it's rude to be naked in public, which is why she tolerates her clothes. But she's relatively safe on a mission with close team mates. And it _is_ a good time to rest." She finished with a quiet laugh.

"Hm." he acknowledged, not trusting himself to speak. "Go lay down, I'm keeping first watch."

"Yes sir." Yume sighed in pretend irritation. "Just don't go using your eyes to take any sneak peaks, okay?"

"No! I-" started Neji.

Yume walked away, laughing devilishly as Neji's face contorted, looking for some kind of response.

The captain sighed, shrugging off the teasing Uchiha as his veins bulged from his activated byakugan.

 **Present, 12:37AM; Northern Kiri Waters; Team Naruto**

"Whaat?" The aquatic menace questioned evenly, his voice quivering in amusement. "You don't gotta look at me like that ya know."

"Hoshigaki Kisame…" Ino recognized quietly, her mind racing as she analyzed all the details of her current dilemma. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Ohh, so you have heard of me? I'm thrilled." The Kiri ninja chuckled, his dangerous eyes unblinking as he spoke. "But shouldn't _I_ be asking that?"

'Shit, he's right…we're in Hidden Mist territory now.' the psychic thought as she carefully picked her reply.

"Yes. We were only passing through." She admitted smoothly, pushing passed the ice in her blood with sheer will power. "We have allies to assist in the Land of Iron. This was the quickest route."

"Who said you could 'pass through'?" Kisame asked, still grinning as his tone darkened treacherously. "Did Mizukage-sama give you the 'okay'?"

"Well…" Ino stalled, her mind focused entirely on preventing any physical conflict with the S-rank shinobi as he was positioned directly above a sleeping Hinata. "Hokage-sama approved the mission. I'm sure he wouldn't do so if it weren't allowed."

"Haha, well I wouldn't know anyway." The grey-blue skinned ninja admitted, appearing to lighten up. "I've been patrolling the water for a while and I was bored when I spotted your boat. Samehada (Shark Skin) went wild when we sensed the chakra your friend over there has, so I tailed for a while before confronting you. I couldn't just let power like that slip by unnoticed." Kisame admitted icily.

"Kisame-san, are you my enemy?" Ino asked, a daring fire in her eyes as she prepared her mind and body for battle. 'Let's get to the point already.'

The large swordsman laughed easily before looking back at the wary Yamanaka kunoichi.

"Heh, not tonight little girl. It would be rude to start a war." He explained, the faintest hint of disappointment reaching his tone. "Besides, I don't think I could kill you without notice. Three Leaf shinobi slaughtered on their way through Kiri waters doesn't give my village a leg to stand on. Plus, aside from us Seven Ninja Swordsmen, not many of my comrades could put up a fight against your jinchuuriki."

"What is it that you want then?" she inquired once more, suspicious as she sought a course of action.

Again, the large man laughed casually. "I just want to rest up, I've been swimming for days now. Would you mind if I relaxed aboard your ship?"

"I would." The Yamanaka woman asserted sternly. "We're on a delicate mission which cannot be tampered with for the safety of our allies."

"Hey hey, no need to be defensive." Kisame chuckled, weighing the pros and cons of satisfying his urge for combat. "What if I just rest here anyway?"

"You will not." Ino declared, plain irritation beginning to replace her fear. "Now please go, or I'll be forced to remove you."

Grinning sinisterly, the swordsman's muscles tensed instinctively as he prepared to attack. "Ohh? You think you can?"

Chakra spiked fingertips reached Kisame's throat, stopping just before Hinata made pudding of his brain. The unwelcome Kiri ninja's late night view suddenly included two additional Naruto onboard the armored sailboat, all three blondes wielding small rasenshuriken. Chuckling darkly, the shark man's right hand didn't move from its new position at the sword hilt on his back.

"Why yes." The blonde kunoichi answered with a smile, aiming a modified tori (bird) hand sign at the sharkish shinobi. "I do."

After an eerily laid back laugh, the bandaged sword ferociously came down at Ino's head. Two Hyuga hands brutally imbedded themselves into Kisame's heart, swiftly followed by six mini rasenshuriken that found their way around Hinata and into the enemy's body which became engulfed in smoke. Where the swordsman once was appeared a large tuna, quickly shredded by the dual onslaught.

"Heheheh" Kisame chuckled, standing atop a summoned shark that continued to keep pace behind the armored vessel. "I hope you don't think I'm so easily dismembered." He grinned before passing through ten hand signs. "Suiton: Suikodan no jutsu (Water Style: Water Shark Bullet jutsu)!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Naruto exclaimed, leaping out onto the water while the clones guarded and piloted the boat. "Futon: Saiko no josan (Wind Style: Supreme Divide)!" after six hand signs and a clap of his pressed palms, the blonde elite slashed his hands down, rocketing a super compressed blade of air at the Kiri jonin.

"Oh-!" Kisame yelled as he vanished from atop his summoned predator before it was violently split in half, the fatal jutsu dividing the dark ocean fifteen meters deep/four meters wide before dissipating in the distance. Naruto's technique dismantled the water shark, which flew past him in two limp, liquid halves.

Landing to the Leaf shinobi's left, Kisame sheathed his sword and put his palms up; greatly confusing the Konoha trio.

"Woah woah now, I just wanted to have some fun." Kisame said with a toothy grin. "No need to go killing each other just yet."

"If I have to take you out to move forward…" Naruto said darkly, staring down the gill-marked ninja who seemingly attempted to kill his blonde companion. "So be it."

"Aw, don't threaten me with a good time." He replied, his face taking a more serious appearance. "Not that it matters, I'm not at my full power anyway."

"Not at full power?" Hinata asked herself within Ino's earshot, both kunoichi ready to assist their captain before a moment's notice.

"What are you saying?" the blonde Uzumaki asked, quietly summoning two handfuls of fuinshuriken.

In a flicker the Kiri ninja was nowhere to be found. 'Pretty fast.' Naruto thought as he turned around to face his allies and the grey-blue powerhouse before leaping onto the center of the ship.

"Mizu bunshin no jutsu (water clone jutsu)." Kisame said happily from his new position sitting on the front of their ship. "I'm a clone produced to patrol our waters while the real me isn't on assignment."

"Ugh, so why were you so hostile?" Ino asked, ignoring the fact that she and Hinata were soaking wet from the remnants of Kisame's defeated jutsu.

"Because I can be." He stated simply. "You're in my territory, and I have orders to investigate and/or eliminate trespassers. I was bored."

"You were aggressive because you have the right to be, and considering your attitude it's easy to assume you enjoy combat." The equally drenched Hinata summed up.

"Clever girl." Kisame said with a smirk, laying his chin on his palm lazily. "But now that we've had our fun I have to go. Gotta get the intel back home."

"You know if the Mist wasn't so shady I'm sure our villages could coincide." Ino suggested.

"I don't think it's that simple." The shark man admitted with a knowing smirk, standing up with his arms folded. "Have a safe trip." He finished with an amused, trembling tone before his body morphed into sea water that splattered aboard the ship's deck as the clone dispelled.

"Well." Naruto commented after a few moments of contemplation under the moonlight. "That was interesting."

"I agree." Hinata added, standing up while she thought of ways to dry herself off. "Thanks for waking us up telepathically Ino. Nice work."

"No problem." Ino smiled, grateful that the chills she was getting from the wind hid her blush. "To think even his clone had so much chakra…"

"Hoshigaki Kisame, huh…" Naruto murmured, leaning on the starboard barrier. "You think we'll run into him again?"

"I don't really know," the blonde said absent mindedly, straining water from her long ponytail "but I hope he leaves us alone on our return trip."

"We can take the long way home on our return trip. I just hope that's all the trouble we get until we find the traitors." Hinata commented, quickly gathering an idea. "Naruto, please go back to sleep."

"Wha- huh?" the whiskered jinchuuriki stuttered, confused at the sudden command. "Why the bossiness?"

"Hinata wants to change clothes, and doesn't want you to see?" Ino surmised, looking toward the pale eyed kunoichi who nodded firmly in agreement. "I'm going to do the same, but I'll go to the front."

"Well okay then." Naruto mumbled, sauntering back to the Yamanaka's bedroll he had been using. 'I'm not really tired anymore. That little ambush kind of has me pumped up…'

Getting up to relocate, Ino tailed Naruto as he followed instructions. Filled with adrenaline and feeling roguish, the blonde woman grasped his shirtless shoulders from behind as she brought her lips to his left ear just as they reached her sleeping roll.

" _Unlike her, I've got nothing to hide,_ " she whispered seductively, grinning devilishly as she felt him shudder, " _I don't mind if you watch me._ "

Continuing forward, the graceful woman locked her half-lidded eyes with the poor Uzumaki's as she took care to make her stride slow and taunting while she departed the flustered ninja.

Naruto's mind became a whirlwind of confusion as he tried to accept what just happened as reality. He slowly sat down on his bedroll with his back to the starboard wall.

'What was that about?' he thought to himself, several suppressed memories of Ino igniting in his mind. 'That was….'

Naruto caught movement in his right peripherals, knowing full well that it was the kunoichi in question at the front of the ship.

'Not gonna look.' He assured himself, looking down at his unfortunate location considering the circumstances. 'I should move my bed so I can't see her.'

Natural desires and urges spun within the young elite. Thinking over the woman's approach on him moments earlier, he wasn't able to help himself.

Moving back into his view from apparently retrieving new clothes from her pack, Ino began removing her wet attire that glistened in the moonlight. Starting with her small, sleeveless vest that failed to cover her toned abdomen, the woman began to strip.

Naruto suddenly looked away, but glanced back again to see that directly under the dark purple armored clothing were white bandages embracing her plump bust.

Undoing her ponytail, Ino shook her hair out before unbuckling her matching purple skirt that covered her tight black ninja shorts. The woman stood so her left side and back were facing the observing Uzumaki.

'Oh my.' Naruto thought hazily, finally laying out in the sleeping roll, curling up to face the center of the vessel. 'Just go to sleep man…'

Ino had retrieved a towel and now was fully facing away. Then, almost as if she had a thought, the gifted kunoichi looked over her right shoulder directly into Naruto's eyes as he stole one last glimpse.

Naruto froze, their eye contact unbroken as a mischievous grin spread across the woman's face. Her clear, sea foam eyes bewitching the conditioned jonin.

Looking back as Naruto turned his red-faced glance away, Ino diligently undid her bandages before entirely drying her naked body and reapplying new wraps. After fully changing, she returned to her place at the captain's wheel to continue her guard shift.

'Big bad elite.' Ino mused to herself, allowing the ocean wind to dry her hair as she brushed it. 'We're human, and you're still a man after all.' she grinned in thought, glancing back at her unsuspecting female companion who had donned fresh clothes to lay her original attire out to dry. 'It's fun to play with you.'

'Maybe if I push the right buttons I can get Hinata to be more of a doer when it comes to her feelings.' She wondered, turning back to look out on the midnight water thoughtfully. 'Perhaps a little competition will be healthy. This is going to be a long mission.'

Ino sighed deeply, admiring the stars as she sailed. 'Might as well make the most out of it.'

 **Hours Later; Land of Tundra; Hidden Location**

Veiled among the rolling snow dunes were a series of small kiosk-like structures. These hidden, one-man assemblies lead deep into the cold earth. Within the black brick walls of the concealed buildings were three tense shinobi.

"Maybe we should leave without her." The smooth voice of a young man offered. "The other two went on ahead. Why don't we join them?"

"No Kosai." An older man's voice asserted, short and curt. "We have orders to wait. If those trackers killed her and find us, so be it. But if she survived we must wait."

"Would you really leave her that easily?" a young woman's voice asked, pacing slowly beside the wall facing him. "She saved your life Kosai."

"That was so long ago Shiori-chan," the first ninja sighed, gazing at the candles on the desk from his place leaning on the wall, "and I am so much stronger now. Let's not dwell on the past, okay?"

Shiori merely nodded, looking at their captain who had a hard look about him in the dim light while he sat at the desk against the wall that separated the two shinobi. "Do you think she failed Yushin-taichou?"

"She might not have," the dark haired man replied, staring at the Konoha headband in his hands, "but we won't know until it's too late."

"It is kind of rough that Hideo-senpai made her go alone," Kosai commented casually, "I know she has to prove her worth, but for us to have been tracked must mean those enemies are strong."

"Reina's strong too." Shiori added, looking at Kosai with disapproval. "She'll definitely be back."

"We wait." Yushin stated, looking between his two subordinates. "Twelve hours, then we leave."

"Welp, in that case I'm going to catch up on the sleep I've missed." Kosai yawned with a stretch. "Keep me in the loop." He finished, waving his hand as he moved to leave through the doorway across from Yushin.

"You won't have to wait…" a tired female voice informed, approaching the room's entrance from the hall. "I'm back."

"So glad to see you." Kosai greeted with a warm smile.

"Wow, you don't even look like you've been through a fight." Shiori observed in admiration. "Was it that easy fo-"

"Status report, Reina." Yushin demanded, cutting off the younger kunoichi as he stood and approached his oldest subordinate.

"Y-yes sir." Reina stuttered, shame making its mark on her complexion. "Mission failure. I only encountered one of them, but she was strong."

"Explain." The team's captain ordered, noticing her bandaged leg.

"Uchiha…she used her sharingan on me at the beginning." Reina continued as she clutched her thigh, gold eyes wincing in pain as she stared down in humiliation. "I got caught in her genjutsu early on. She almost had me before she cut the illusion and I escaped."

"Hm." Yushin grunted, glaring a hole through the defeated woman. "Pathetic."

"She's powerful." Reina asserted, looking back at Kosai who had carelessly brandished his gunbai (Uchiha war fan) that was on his back. She understood the gesture. "I've never been in a genjutsu so strong Yushin-taichou." She finished, turning to the leading Uchiha with pleading eyes.

Raising a hand to subdue Kosai, Yushin grasped Reina's shoulders between his powerful hands.

"You only get one failure like this." He told her, concern in his eyes as he lifted her gaze into his. "If it happens again-"

"It won't." she declared, looking hard into his stern visage.

"You should hope so." He finished, stroking her cheek once before returning to his seat at the desk. "Shiori, help her with her wound. We depart for our sensei in twelve hours."

"Yushin-taichou, may I ask why we're still going to wait?" Shiori questioned nervously. "Shouldn't we leave since Reina's back?"

"She failed, Shiori." Yushin stated coldly, looking directly into her black eyes. "Now it is up to us to tie-up loose ends." he stated, turning back to the files before him.

"Besides, I want to see if this little clan mate is as strong as Reina claims." He finished, sharingan igniting dangerously before fading to dark once more.

 **Hours Before; Land of Iron; Team Kakashi**

" _What do you see?_ " Rin questioned over her short range radio with a finger to her single, left earpiece. Sneaking low in the snow; all of her senses were on high alert.

"I don't sense movement." Kakashi muttered from his position near a behemoth cave entrance, currently hiding behind a large, snow-covered stone. "We may have to go in."

" _What? What if he's in there?_ " the kunoichi asked in static distorted worry. " _Neji's report mentioned those traitors from the_ _UtG_ _file. That means we'll be heavily outmatched soon, even if we aren't already…!_ "

"We shouldn't leave empty handed, Rin." The white haired elite sighed quietly. "Keep watch and keep patrolling. Be prepared, I will leave radio range soon due to the stone walls."

" _Kakashi, I don't advise this._ " She admitted quietly. " _You know Obito wouldn't approve._ "

"Heh, well Obito isn't here." Kakashi replied with a masked grin to himself before returning to his serious demeanor. "Rin, if you hear something go wrong I want you to immediately inform Minato-sensei with the scroll I gave you. Don't come for me unless I call for you."

" _No, I will never leave you to just-_ "

"That's an order, Rin." Kakashi finished strictly over his matching earpiece, tightening his gloves in anticipation. "Eyes open, I'm going in."

" _Y-yes sir…_ " she submitted, anxiously searching the icy expanse for the possible enemy reinforcements Neji had mentioned in his report.

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a quick breath, "Meisaigakure no jutsu (camouflage jutsu)…!" Suddenly the jonin disappeared from sight as the technique bent light around him, turning him invisible while erasing his scent and dimming his chakra signature.

'Here goes nothing.' Kakashi thought to himself, silently hurdling into the cavernous, hostile refuge.

 **End**

* * *

 **UtG** **= Under the Glass**

 **I know ninjas are OP in terms of relative physical prowess, but I'd still love to see Aang vs Naruto, Zuko vs Sasuke, Katara vs Haku, and Sokka vs... Sakura (;**

 **What games do you people like to play?**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	11. Mission Launch

**11**

 **-Mission Launch-**

* * *

 **7:32AM; Northeastern Kiri Waters; Team Naruto**

Despite the appearance of the Hidden Mist swordsman Hoshigaki Kisame, the three Leaf shinobi had a discreetly quiet and peaceful night. Mild chop and a cool breeze accompanied the waking Naruto and Ino as the sun shined above the horizon ahead. Bold reds and oranges dressed the puffy clouds as the armored vessel sailed through the blue-green water.

"Good morning." Hinata greeted evenly, active dojutsu scanning ahead as she guided them through the water in her thin black tank top and ninja shorts. "We should reach the coast within two hours. I see the rendezvous."

"Ahh." Naruto acknowledged, sitting up slowly as he peeked around in sleepy confusion. "Cool."

"Hmmh." Ino sighed, yawning quietly as she moved to lay on her side. "That's good."

"No news from Hokage-sama, I assume?" Hinata asked Naruto, her lavender eyes relaxing to their normal state.

"No." he answered, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before laying on his belly, resting his chin atop crossed arms. "Not yet. It should be soon though. We'll know when a toad appears out of nowhere."

Hearing the Uzumaki's somnolent voice clearly, Ino's waking mind recalled her villainous endeavor the night before. From her current position, the blonde woman's view of Hinata was obstructed by the large central console and mast.

Blinking slowly, Naruto was admiring the warm sky before he noticed eyes on him. Looking slightly to his left, he made visual contact with the Yamanaka kunoichi. Not being much of a morning person, the Uzumaki's sleepy brain hadn't caught up with Ino's quite yet.

That is, until her gaze shifted to something naughty before she allowed the young man a knowing wink.

Naruto swiftly laid his head down, his pulse quickening as he recalled Ino's taunt hours before. After a few moments of steady breathing and the application of intense resolve the whiskered man was able to will away his morning male hindrance.

After a few tranquil minutes of quiet, the jinchuuriki raised with a stretch; attempting to fully awaken his muscles. Turning to his right, the captain approached his Hyuga companion.

"Hey Hinata," Naruto greeted with a smile, "may I join you?"

"Oh, sure." She murmured in subtle surprise, still wanting to be frustrated with her long-time team mate as he leaned against the central console in front of her. "What's up?"

"Come on Hinata…" He pressed calmly, drumming up the nerve to confront one of his best friends about personal matters. "You know what's up. You're the one who's been upset since Sunday."

"Oh…" she replied looking down, visibly sinking at the subject being brought up. "Why don't we wait until after the mission?"

"No." the whiskered shinobi denied simply, shaking his head as he faced her to make eye contact. "You're my friend and I care about you. You're upset, so let's address it while we aren't busy."

"Okay…" the byakugan user headed quietly, looking up to stare into her favorite color of blue. "Where do you want to start?"

"Well it's because of something I did at the party, I know that much." Naruto explained as his brow pinched, shifting anxiously. "Do you know that all of our drinks were drugged and we were put under a minor genjutsu?"

This new information halted her accusatory thoughts. Hinata's eyes widened a bit as she looked over the determined man.

"What do you mean?" the Hyuga heiress asked cautiously, guilt over her attitude blooming in her chest. "Genjutsu? Who?"

"Sarutobi Konohamaru used henge to act as a replacement bartender later in the evening. The little shit spiked our drinks and set us under an overtly simple illusion that we all overlooked for a bunch of reasons." the Uzumaki explained, moving to kneel in front of his team mate. "Apparently it also caused memory loss for many of us that evening, since the doses were all identical. I have blocks, and so does Sasuke and others. All of us are missing pieces from that night, most likely."

Hinata shook her head as her gaze drifted downward, thinking about her feelings that night. The heiress knew she was overlooking the strangeness she felt that night in lieu of her emotions. She felt bad for yelling at Naruto the way she had at her home, when she emotionally pushed him away due to her jealousy over what she experienced. Her guilt over her attitude started adding to the pit sinking in her core.

"Hey." Naruto called, shaking her knee gently as he attempted to regain eye contact. "Hinata look at me."

Two teary lavender eyes looked up into the Uzumaki's deep blues.

"Don't apologize." her blonde teammate commanded kindly, stopping her as she opened her mouth to do just that. "All I want is for you to be my friend again. Please?"

The young woman nodded as Naruto stood, pulling her into a hug as she rose with him. The two long term companions swayed gently in their embrace under a fiery colored sky.

'Oh? I guess they've finally made up.' A sleepy eyed Yamanaka thought to herself with a smile, strolling toward the back of the boat to gather her things. After moving back to the front to pack her bedroll, Ino turned around to see the two had not separated. 'That's good. Now we can be fully focused for the mission, without our little Hyuga being a grump.'

She stood for a moment, studying the two hugging jonin.

'Hm…' Ino thought with a frown, turning away to take a seat at the front of the ship. The psychic sat with her pack, tasking herself with the organization of the items within the bag for easy reach and efficient space management. 'What is this?'

The blonde girl closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing her temples softly as she pictured the couple in her mind. 'Jealousy?'

 **9:49AM; Land of Iron; Team Naruto**

Samurai had been waiting for the Konoha shinobi at the southwestern coast, welcoming the trio to the rendezvous with a full armament of their soldiers. The Samurai warriors, while preferring to defer out of ninja conflicts and remain neutral as they have in the past, required their help. Their officers had found traces of foreign ninja activity, to whom of which no nation claimed.

Hence the request from Konoha, who had been quietly looking into the suspicious disappearances of several members from one of its prime clans. This request informed the Samurai of Iron that they'd send their own personnel to investigate and remove the ninja threat from their peaceful lands. This, while generally creating a positive point of reference for the Leaf with the easterners, did not make the two nations 'friends'.

So being greeted in a heavily guarded dock with several platoons of samurai that had reinforcements sevenfold didn't surprise the jinchuuriki captain. Naruto simply smiled at all of them until their leader, whom he had never met, stepped up to the edge of the docks with his hands held behind his back.

"Greetings, Naruto-san." An aged samurai with a full grey fu-manchu moustache and beard welcomed with a polite but stern tone. The man's head was wrapped entirely in bandages above his eyes, with his long grey hair flowing out of the back. "I am general Mifune. We are happy to see that you had a safe trip."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mifune-sama." Naruto replied with a low bow, his fellow ninja following suit as his prominent voice echoed against the wooden walls of the relatively small, enclosed docking station. "I appreciate your cooperation with my village, and I apologize for the inconvenience in the first place. May we approach?"

"Of course Naruto-san, you are quite welcome here." The older man replied, his armor clinking as he bowed in kind. The three ninja stepped up off the side of their vessel onto the wooden walkway as many eyes peered on them through shadowed helmets. "Don't mind my soldiers, it was simply of national interest to be prepared for any sort of confrontation."

"Whatever is best for you and your country is best for us Mifune-sama." The young jonin said pleasantly, approaching the stairs beneath the Iron general. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get our search started immediately."

"Of course, allow me to walk out with you." He accepted in agreement, turning his back to the trio of shinobi as they joined him between the battalion of swordsmen. "These are the- "

Suddenly, much to the mortification of the ninja amongst foreigners, a loud poof of white smoke erupted ahead of the Samurai general.

In a moment counted in milliseconds, the samurai converged on the Leaf trio's position as Mifune dodged forward. The guards slashed their chakra-laced katana in a startled attempt to cut down the shinobi threat.

Mifune, who had positioned himself to face the smoke and shinobi, observed his soldiers hit nothing before every Iron samurai dropped their weapons and sat on the floor.

Calmly looking upward, the general noticed all three ninja using chakra suction to attach their feet to the wooden roof along with a new fourth companion: a small, green toad wearing a black scarf bearing a white Konoha insignia. Looking closely, the elite swordsman noticed the blonde kunoichi holding a complex, modified tori hand sign (distinct from the one she aimed at Kisame the night before).

"How did you do this?" he asked, looking around at his disoriented warriors, who began to retrieve their weapons and stand back up. 'What a technique…'

"A jutsu I've been working on." Ino replied calmly. "Secret."

"Call off your men." The upside-down jinchuuriki demanded smoothly, arms crossed over his chest. "My Hokage communicates with me through our shared summon. Gamagosu appeared because he has a message for me. We are no threat to you or your country, Mifune-sama."

"Understood. Stand down!" the bandaged man asserted, looking toward all of his men, slightly embarrassed by the apparent uselessness of their presence. "We apologize for the misunderstanding, my men are just a bit wary of ninja now that we have some lurking about our homeland."

"Which is why we're here." the whiskered captain informed, landing on the ground in a blur with his team. "I'll take what information you have now, I already have permission to search your territory and we must begin our search now; time is a delicacy."

"Of course Naruto-san." Mifune complied, snapping his fingers before a lithe, lightly armored samurai in a grinning red demon mask appeared with a scroll before vanishing as suddenly as she arrived. "Here you are. Please have a safe journey. If for whatever reason you need assistance in dealing with your rogue ninja, do not hesitate to send word."

"Thanks, your hospitality is appreciated." The Uzumaki finished proudly, walking past dozens of rows of the Iron samurai before exiting the miniature marina. The sheer power only one of his team mates wielded made him confident, and he pressed himself to not become arrogant.

"Hokage-sama sure has funny timing huh, Naruto-san?" the smooth green toad asked, rubbing his head gracelessly as the team stopped for a moment once outside.

"Well we're all fine, and the situation was easily managed thanks to Ino-chan here." Naruto summed up, eliciting a jovial smile from the blonde woman behind him. "Alright, so what's dad got for me?"

"Minato-sama said that Neji requested your assistance." The toad explained, hopping out of the snow to sit on the jinchuuriki's left shoulder. "Apparently they were attacked by a single woman named Iwate Reina, who was quickly defeated by Uchiha Yume who had been on guard at the time. Unfortunately the rogue escaped, and Neji's team followed her as long as they could. They are now hidden in the Land of Tundra."

"Ah, alright." he nodded in calm contemplation. "Do you have their location?"

The toad nodded in return before retrieving a scroll that was attached to his muscly tongue. "This is a map with their coordinates, and method of which to let them know you're friendlies in case they don't see you coming. Minato-sama said he'll inform them when you're on your way, after I return to him."

"Got it. Thanks, Gamagosu." The blonde said with a grin, giving the small toad a high-five before it vanished among smoke.

The three shinobi looked over the eastern continental map together.

"That's going to take the entire day to get to. And that's only if we make record time." Ino sighed, studying the distance and terrain as she reviewed the detailed map.

"Hah!" Naruto laughed, turning to Hinata who was grinning in kind. "That's cute Ino."

"But- huh?" Ino faltered, returning her eyes to the map to see where she went wrong.

To her left, Naruto turned around and took a few steps forward. Calling forth a heave of chakra, the sennin (sage ninja) completed five hand signs before biting his thumb and slapping the snow covered earth.

Appearing before the Konoha jonin were three, horse sized foxes.

"Oh, hello Naruto-sama." The ivory fox greeted excitedly. Observing her surroundings and the white-cloaked ninja, she inquired tenderly, "Do you require transportation?"

"You got it Suifuto-chan." the summoner affirmed warmly, caressing her soft neck once she took her place by his side. "Hey Eiji-kun, Nozomi-chan!"

"Hey Naruto-sama." Eiji replied happily with his cool, deep voice. Slightly larger than Suifuto, Eiji was muscular, with dense black fur highlighted by stark white accents tipping his tail, legs and ears as well as outlining his lips and vibrant emerald eyes. The brawny fox wore solid steel 'anklets' around all four paws, each baring its own unique engraved kanji ( **FL: Chikara** [strength] **BL: Sokudo** [speed] **FR: Kokatsuna** [cunning] **BR: Taikyu** [endurance]).

"Glad to see you again Naruto-sama!" Nozomi responded eagerly, her bushy tail waving in exhilaration. The smallest of the three foxes, Nozomi's fur was a striking red with black hints around her forehead, ears, eyes, jaw and paws as well as the smoothly incorporated dark patch stretching from her head down her back, waning at her rear. She boasted bright white fur fading onto the ends of her scarlet ears and tail as well as two silver hoops in her left ear.

"Oh wow…" Ino sighed in fantastic veneration, looking over each beautiful quadruped.

"Hinata-chan, it's been too long." The black fox greeted as he approached the Hyuga, Nozomi nodding in consensus behind him. "Climb up, we can talk on the way if that's okay with your _captain_." Eiji finished playfully.

"You're pretty." The crimson fox admired kindly, her frosty white eyes looking over the blonde kunoichi as she approached. "I'm Nozomi. It's nice to meet you!"

"So happy to meet you too Nozomi-chan! My name is Yamanaka Ino." she replied in kind, scaling the large being after Nozomi motioned for her. "Do I just hold your fur?"

"Yes, and hold on tight." Suifuto informed kindly, a sight of sure elegance with Naruto mounted atop her heroically.

"It is only snow." Eiji chimed in casually, laying down as Hinata straddled the midnight fox. "If you fell off you wouldn't feel a thing."

The jonin captain looked over his friends with resolve, turning Suifuto to face southeast, taking point.

"Yosh." Naruto announced excitedly, pleased to truly get his mission underway. "Let's go!"

"Yes!" his team replied in unison.

 **10:13AM; Land of Tundra; Hidden Location**

The medium room was well lit compared to most rooms within HS-B17. Uchiha Shiori was an adept medical ninjutsu practitioner, and had worked diligently on mending Reina's sleekly pierced thigh. A night of rest helped solidify the healing as she entered her subject's room for a morning check-up.

"Reina-senpai, good morning." The young Uchiha greeted nicely, setting a clipboard down on the desk near her superior's medical bed. "How is your leg feeling?"

"It's fine." She replied quietly, facing away from her caretaker as she continued to stare at the candles to her right.

"Oh... Don't think about it." Shiori offered kindly, pulling the stickie sensor nodes from Reina's naked body. "Focus on the present, and plan for the future. But try not to dwell on the past."

"I don't need a lecture, girl." Reina said curtly, sharp eyes darting up toward the young woman before returning to the candles. "I need to break that smug bitch in half."

"Of course." She submitted calmly, unwrapping the bitter woman's bandages from her right leg.

After a long forty minutes of quiet, meticulous medical ninjutsu, Shiori reassessed her comrades fully healed leg. Packing her things, the Uchiha made for a silent departure.

"Thank you." Reina whispered, almost inaudibly.

The medic stopped in the doorway, momentarily caught off guard by the customarily vexed woman. The black haired girl allowed herself a small smile.

"Of course, Reina-senpai." Shiori answered softly, taking her leave without a sound.

 **Elsewhere; HS-B17**

"You called, Yushin-taichou?" a charismatic voice inquired, entering the dimly lit room with a desk placed against the wall across from the doorway.

"Yes Kosai. Shut the door." A deep, stern voice responded as the man by the candle shuffled through documents.

"Alright." Kosai sighed agreeably, doing as he was told with a light demeanor. "What's up?"

"It's Reina." Yushin answered, setting down the papers as he ran a hand through his dark, kempt hair. "I would have Shiori join, but I feel that it would be disrespectful to her, since I tasked her with healing the woman."

"I'm all ears." Kosai leaned in with a sly smirk.

"We may or may not get tracked down by these pursuers." Yushin continued, turning in his chair to better face his subordinate. "But if we do and Reina fails again, I want you to end her. Allow the enemy to do it, do it yourself, it does not matter. "

"' _You only fail once'_." The youngest shinobi quoted equably, referring to his captain's comment the previous evening. "Understood."

"Good." The large man responded quietly, noir eyes glaring through the floor in thought before returning to meet Kosai's. "An underling delivered a message. The Samurai of Iron have gathered a reasonable force near their south coast. Our sensei are taking appropriate action, but I suspect our trackers are getting reinforced."

"So what do you suggest?" Kosai asked, leaning lazily against the wall of the musky room.

"We prepare, we wait and we kill them if they show." Yushin finished darkly, dismissing the young ninja with a swift motion. "I will summon you all when the plan is finished."

 **1:16PM; Land of Tundra; Team Neji**

Neji's team spent their time discussing the enemies and how best to combat a sharingan user while they waited, coming up with contingency plans and battle strategies. Yume gave her personal perceptions on how to defeat an Uchiha; her Hyuga captain sharing additional insight as his clan bears a natural defense against the opposing visual dojutsu.

"So since both of your eyes are cheating, I'm the only one who would be concerned about making eye contact." Kiken summed up, laying on her belly with her feet waving as she absentmindedly played shogi with Yume. "I want a dojutsu…"

"You're terrifying enough without a visual power." Yume joked with a smile, watching the board as she realized she was losing. "You'll be fine out there."

"Well yeah, but still." The green haired girl insisted, taking yet another piece from her black eyed companion while their captain observed. "I wanna see in slo-mo. Or have three hundred sixty degree, piercing chakra vision. Which one is better, you think?"

The sharingan and byakugan users exchanged an amused glance before Neji shook his head with closed eyes as Yume answered.

"Let's not get into that." Yume chuckled, grinning as she finally took another one of Kiken's pieces. "No need to start a fight."

"We'll have plenty of fighting very soon." Neji finished, standing as he activated his powerful white eyes. "Speaking of which, someone's coming. It's…woah."

"Huh?" Kiken mumbled in interest, noting her captain's rare surprised attitude. " _Woah_?"

"Sometimes I forget how impressive that guy is. I'm not used to his summons." The Hyuga stated as he gestured for Kiken to let them out. "Uzumaki Naruto..."

Kiken shot a sneaky smirk toward Yume, swiftly clearing and packing Neji's shogi board before removing the pillar that blocked the only exit, having already ascended their artificial cave an hour before.

Neji and Yume elegantly leapt from the cavern, followed gracefully by Kiken who erased all traces of their camp; solidifying the earth beneath them.

"Haah!" Kiken gasped excitedly as three large foxes dashed their way. "Wow!"

Circling Neji's team, Naruto and his two companions brought their mounts to a halt surrounding the friendly ninja squad. Stepping down, the Uzumaki approached the older Hyuga captain. After a moment of eye contact the two young men shook hands with a subtle, unspoken confirmation.

"Let's find these traitors." The blonde jonin stated looking over his fellow Leaf shinobi, gesturing for the separate cell to join his atop the summoned foxes. "Come on. Ever rode a fox before?"

"Kiken!" Ino called with a friendly wave, motioning for the horned woman to join her atop Eiji. "Come on up." she finished with a smile.

"Ino!" Kiken laughed happily as she climbed atop the black animal in a single fluid motion. "I missed you!" she said warmly, hugging the blonde from behind.

"Hinata." Neji inquired evenly, facing his clan member as he spoke. "May I join you? I'd like to discuss some ideas my team deliberated."

"Of course." The Hyuga heiress offered pleasantly before Neji took his place behind her, Nozomi bending a polite nod toward the new rider.

"Well I guess you're with me." Naruto shrugged nicely, beckoning Yume as he mounted Suifuto again, patting her white fur once he straddled the fox. "Hop on!"

"Oh- yes!" Yume stammered obediently, her cheeks reddening slightly at the boy's forwardness; Kiken's subtle eye contact did nothing to help her flustered state as she sat awkwardly behind the whiskered jonin - unsure whether to hold him or not.

"Ino is going to set up a mental link between us so we can communicate silently while we travel. Is everyone set?" Naruto asked his group, getting a round of confirmation before realizing Yume hadn't moved. Lowering his voice to only address her, "Yume-chan, put your arms around me. Suifuto is very fast."

"What?" she asked in racked confusion, rapidly regaining her composure. "Oh, yes. Of course." the flushed Uchiha complied, sliding her arms around his solid torso as the three summons turned and darted northeast.

 _Naruto, can you hear me?_ **'** Ino's voice echoed softly within the jinchuuriki's mind.

 _ **'** Yes._ **'** He thought in response over her telepathic connection. **'** _Please link the others._ **'**

 **'** _Of course._ **'** She conceded quietly, focusing for a moment before the couple was joined by seven other consciousness.

 **'** _Can everyone hear me?_ **'** Naruto inquired through the link, glancing to his left and right getting nods and mental confirmations from the shinobi and foxes alike. **'** _Good. Here's the deal._ **'**

 **'** _Hokage-sama assigned my team to find and capture one of the rogue ninja listed on the file labeled '_ _Under the Glass_ _'_ _._ **'** he informed, allowing his memory of the file to flow through the link for his team mates. **'** _Eight Konoha shinobi that are suspected of betrayal. We don't know much, but Kakashi and Rin are currently northwest of us investigating the original claim of shinobi activity from the Samurai. This seems to be related to who you were investigating, Neji._ **'**

Naruto paused to let his friends absorb the information before he went on.

 **'** _My guess is that the strongest among them, Uchiha Aoto, Uchiha Hideo and Uchiha Yushin, are the leaders. Although we know of these eight, it does not mean that we only have eight enemies._ **'** Naruto informed as the three foxes sprinted over the frosty terrain. **'** _Thanks to Reina and her attack on Yume here, Neji's team was able to learn a couple things. We know the direction she went, and are currently in pursuit, and we know that she is extremely hostile. Within Yume's genjutsu this woman showed no remorse, and seemingly enjoyed slaughtering her enemies, us, within the illusion._ **'**

 **'** _As of now we are one team, and I am the captain._ **'** He asserted calmly, approvals pinging across the mental plane. **'** _When we confront the enemy we will rely heavily on team work. Do not kill unless one of our lives is on the line and remember, we are going to be fighting Uchiha. So Yume, Hinata and Neji are going to have the greatest advantage during this fight. Therefore Kiken, Ino and I will defer to their better judgement when needed. Any questions?_ **'**

 **'** _I have one._ **'** Kiken thought casually within their consciousness. **'** _What's the plan if the enemy is too many and too strong?_ **'**

 **'** _They won't be._ **'** The blonde captain assured confidently, allowing his feelings to ease the team. **'** _With the six of us, victory is guaranteed._ **'**

 **End**

* * *

 **HS-B17 = Hidden Sanctuary, Class B, Seventeenth location.**

 **That's all this time around.**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	12. Rogue Confrontation

**12**

 **-Rogue Confrontation-**

* * *

 **4:02PM; Land of Tundra; Team Naruto**

 **'** _What do you see?_ **'** a tense Uzumaki asked through a telepathic connection created by the platinum blonde Yamanaka. **'** _Can you tell how far we are?_ **'**

The six ninja huddled low in the snow behind one of many frosty dunes, still accompanied by Naruto's three fox summons, Suifuto, Eiji and Nozomi who had been resting behind the team since they stopped four minutes prior.

 **'** _Their hideout is underground, approximately two kilometers northeast with four small structures spread across the top randomly._ **'** Hinata informed, searching next to her Hyuga elder who kept watch in all directions to prevent an ambush. **'** _There's only one real entrance, the other three connections to the surface are false and booby trapped with wires, explosives and gas. Even their only exit is locked with some sort of explosive tag sequence. They also seem to be ready for us._ **'**

 **'** _Ready?_ **'** Yume thought curiously, inquiring Hinata to elaborate.

 **'** _As if we're expected. There's four of them; two women and two men. The women's pulses are high and one of the men is tense but calm. The last man is laying down, but he's not asleep, just... very relaxed._ **'** Hinata explained in their minds, adding colorless chakra visuals to the elaborations with her memory. **'** _They all appear to be combat ready. The woman who seems to be the most anxious is the only one who isn't Uchiha, so I'm going to say that she's probably your attacker, Yume-chan. She's equipped with a lot of senbon, and the other woman has a short chokuto while the man laying down has some kind of flat weapon beside him. The tense man isn't carrying anything but standard ninja tools._ **'**

 **'** _Wait, flat weapon?_ **'** Kiken asked in interest, thoughtlessly allowing her fascination with weapons to be viewed across the psychic tether.

 **'** _Yes. It's made of metal with a large, flat, roughly gourd-shaped section connected to a long handle. The edges of the flat part are sharpened to an edge, so maybe it's a sword?_ **'** Hinata attempted to explain, unsure of what the object was as she allowed the image to flow over the curious kunoichi.

 **'** _It's probably a gunbai._ **'** Yume added, sending memories of pictures and a single model to her team. **'** _It's an Uchiha war fan. Madara used one that was extremely powerful back when he was alive._ **'**

 **'** _Noted._ _Hinata, can you see a way for us to enter quietly?_ **'** Naruto inquired, his blood heating up as he was anxious to get to the zenith of their assignment. **'** _Is stealth an option here?_ **'**

 **'** _No, I don't believe so._ **'** Hinata thought, shaking her head. **'** _It seems w_ _e may only be able to flush them out._ **'**

 **'** _Any thoughts?_ **'** the jinchuuriki asked, attempting to gain insight from his fellow ninja.

 **'** _With the level of power we might be dealing with, I think this will end up in open combat._ **'** Neji offered, allowing his logical thought process to be viewed by the entirety of the team.

 **'** _What if we use ninjutsu with heavy destructive power on their base?_ **'** Ino suggested, coming up with ideas. **'** _I know it's crude, but they're supposed to be high-ranking ninja. So they should survive with mild injuries at most. Especially if they're already prepared for us like that._ **'**

 **'** _I don't see us sneaking into their domain playing out in our favor, either._ **'** Yume commented, eliciting thoughtful nods from the group.

 **'** _Why don't we spring their trap?_ **'** Kiken suggested casually.

 **'** _Spring the trap?_ **'** Naruto thought in question. **'** _Why, what do you have in mind?_ **'**

 **'** _You can make lots of clones Naruto-kun. So duplicate our team, get over there super sneaky-like, get caught on the traps so they ignite and 'kill' 'us'._ **'** The fanged shinobi explained, twirling her hair while all her friends listened intently. **'** _Then in that moment of confusion when they're looking for the intruders and proof of death, we unleash devastating yet accurate ninjutsu._ **'**

 **'** _That's clever._ **'** Naruto admitted with a blink of his blue eyes. **'** _I'm up for that, if the rest of you approve._ **'**

 **'** _I think it's a safe route, considering the chakra these ninja possess._ **'** Hinata thought supportively, continuously studying the enemy's movements. Neji gave a nod in psychic approval alongside his clan mate.

 **'** _I'm ready to get this show on the road._ **'** Ino thought in anticipation, strength surging through her agile form. **'** _Once the traps explode - that's our que to attack?_ **'**

 **'** _Yes, but we must be coordinated._ **'** Neji answered, insisting on caution. **'** _We need them to be capable of surviving the attack. Do not go overboard, and wait for Naruto to clear before laying waste to the whole compound._ **'** He finished with a trivial glance in Kiken's direction.

 **'** _I felt that…_ **'** she thought in response.

 **'** _Once Naruto starts the play I will signal you and cut off the link._ **'** Ino informed the party matter-of-factly. **'** _It'll be easier for me to focus without it._ **'**

 **'** _Alright._ **'** Naruto thought as he raised his signature hand sign, causing five puffs of smoke to surround him. Each clone using henge to appear as the remaining members of his team. **'** _Move with me and get into position, but maintain a healthy distance._ **'**

A round of confirmations sent the jinchuuriki and his clones ahead on their silent approach to the hostile base.

 **Naruto & Clones**

After nearly an hour of careful sneaking under the soft light of an overcast sun, Naruto and his gang of bunshin were noiseless as they crept up on one of the three false entrances to the hidden base. Following at a safe distance was the real team, who stopped to hide two hundred meters from the base's location.

Naruto himself would not have been able to notice the structures on his own until he was already upon them. It was the diligent scanning of the two Hyuga members who discovered the underground structure and led Naruto to one of the fakes.

 **'** _Naruto-kun, be careful._ **'** Hinata thought across the mind-cable. **'** _The relaxed one is up. He's walking down one of the hallways._ **'**

 **'** _Got it, I might be triggering a sensor of some sort._ **'** The stealthy jonin confirmed, only meters away from where the entrance should be. Kneeling close to the ground, Naruto put his palm against the earth through the snow to sense the minute vibrations in the dirt. **'** _I found it just beneath the snow, two meters to my one 0'clock…Yosh._ **'**

 **'** _Hurry Naruto-taichou._ **'** Neji insisted, his alarmed consciousness tipping the team off. **'** _He's heading for the other man._ **'**

 **'** _Understood…!_ **'** the blonde man thought before he discovered a pull-switch. Grabbing hold of the cold, steel handle, he drew it upward.

A garish metal-scraping-metal sound shrieked loudly as a small square meter booth broke rapidly from the snow. A startled Naruto awaited some sort of repercussion as he listened for commotion over the wind.

 **'** _They don't appear to have noticed the sound…_ **'** Hinata communicated, sharing her vision. **'** _The earth must be too dense. That, or they have something planned..._ **'**

 **'** _Or they're too cocky to care._ **'** Yume added with a shrug, feeling supremely amped up and ready to fight.

 **'** _Either_ _way, you should move quickly. **'**_ Ino insisted, nervous for the jinchuuriki's safety.

 **'** _Alright, I'm going in._ **'** Naruto informed, breaking the ice that covered the wooden door as he opened it. **'** _Go ahead and sever the connection, Ino-chan._ **'**

 **'** _Yes! Everyone get ready._ **'** The telepath thought as she and her fellow blonde felt the foreign consciousness fall away, leaving the two alone. **'** _Be careful…_ **'**

'You got i- oh.' Naruto thought to himself, feeling his mind go quiet. 'She's gone.'

Slowly swinging the door open wide, the elite shinobi inspected the small closet. Lining the inside of the frame to the door were a series of frozen explosive tags. Sighing to himself, he then noticed small nozzles hidden in the ceiling corners closest to the door, most likely used for gas, fire or a combination of the two.

'Useless traps.' He thought with a grin before deliberately tripping the nearly invisible wire at his feet.

Much to his satisfaction several of the spouts burst, spreading a thick smoke within the chamber before the sound of rushing flames ignited the heavy gas.

Substituting with his farthest clone, the Neji one, Naruto looked on in approval as the tiny structure burst in a vast, fiery explosion; brilliant as the clones were enveloped in the shockwave.

"That should've gotten their attention." The whiskered jonin murmured to himself, looking over his flaming handiwork before taking his leave.

"Huh? But you've had our attention." A man's voice commented from behind Naruto, eliciting a swinging right heel kick which the man caught with his right hand; not bothering to remove his left from the pocket in his jacket. "That was rude."

Bringing his leg back to leap away, Naruto kept his gaze focused on the ninja's waistline.

 **'** _Naruto!_ **'** Ino called out, establishing another psychic connection between the two due to the Hyuga's announcement of his predicament; watching with baited breath. **'** _Should we attack?_ **'**

"Ohh- " the black haired man grunted, turning his sharingan upward then back behind him. "I guess that's where your friends are."

 **'** _He can see our link! Attack_ _ **now**_ _!_ **'** Naruto screamed in thought, closing his mind off to shut the connection.

"What's your name?" the blonde queried, fists clenched as he prepared his body for extreme taijutsu.

"Oh, yeah I guess I was rude too." the enemy replied with a chuckle, running a lazy right hand through his thick, spikey hair. "My name is Uchiha Kosai. It's nice to officially meet you, Uzumaki Naruto."

"I need you to come with me back to Konoha." Naruto stated hard, calmly awaiting his reaction. "We need to know- "

"Nah." Kosai stated in a serious but bored manner, waving his hand in disinterest. The Uzumaki watched as the traitor chuckled to himself and rubbed his neck listlessly. "I like where this is going. I think I'll just do what I want."

"Your choice." Naruto stated calmly, vanishing from sight.

Kosai's sharingan-lit eyes widened ever so slightly as he felt the hairs on his neck stand while the air behind him was compressed by the force of an incoming rasengan.

'Such speed…!' The young sharingan user thought, dodging away in blur to face Naruto with his back to the flames.

To his subtle surprise, Kosai heard several deafening booms and crashes behind him as Naruto's team got to work on flushing out the rest of the rogue ninja.

l l l

"Ahh!" Kiken sighed as she bent to touch her toes at the center of a forty-meter-wide crater, getting a nice stretch out. "It's been a while since I could really let loose! What about you, Yume-chaan!"

"Same for me!" the friendly Uchiha shouted from her own intersecting, flaming crater some ways away. "Where is everyone?"

. . .

"Ohh? Taichou?" Kosai muttered lamely, turning his back to Naruto before the blonde reappeared in front of him. "Heyy, I'm just trying to see if my people are alive. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're also not gonna be seeing anybody but the interrogation squad." Naruto threatened, staring dangerously at his enemy's chest. "Come quietly. I'm not going to ask again."

"Well that makes sense, it'd be a waste of air." He explained casually, dodging a palm thrust from Naruto before grabbing the blonde by his wrist and using his momentum to toss him aside.

Landing lightly on his feet after a flip, the jinchuuriki rebounded and was summoning chakra before he realized his opponent vanished.

"Naruto!" Hinata called with Ino beside her, joining her captain after viewing the brief exchange. "He's strong. This might not be as easy as we anticipated."

"This chakra…" Ino sighed, sensing a swell of power in the snowy dust that had yet to settle sixty meters away, near Kiken's location.

"Hey!" Neji called urgently as he rushed toward the trio with Yume joining close behind him. "Kiken's over there with that monstrous chakra!"

The five ninja started for the green haired woman in the distance where an orange-ish glow was accenting the smoke around her as she skipped toward her companions.

. . .

'This is gonna be fun!' Kiken thought happily to herself as she acknowledged her friends' approach in the distance with a wave.

"Hoh? You must be special." A smooth voice observed from behind the small kunoichi. "Special like me maybe?"

"Isn't everyone special?" Kiken asked, turning around with a twirl of her dress and a closed-eye smile. "What's different about you?" she inquired, looking up at the sky in thought.

"Hm, I haven't really figured that out myself." The spikey haired ninja sighed, rubbing his chin in thought. "So what's your mission?"

"We gotta take one of you home!" the Ryu kunoichi answered excitedly, removing the heavy white cloak she was wearing. "Is that gonna be okay?"

"Ehh, not really." The Uchiha answered, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Our orders are to kill you all."

"Hah, hahahah! Hehehe," the green haired girl giggled loudly, clutching her tummy as she bent over, "good luck with that!"

"Huhh? I like your attitude, so this is your last chance to join us or die." The traitorous shinobi sighed, inserting his right hand back into his pocket. "C'mon, it'll be fun."

"Sorry, but you're the bad guy," Kiken said, suddenly vanishing to appear behind the rogue. Kicking in his knee while grasping his neck and jaw in a single motion as he collapsed, lowering her voice to a chillingly light whisper, " _and a dead man_."

'Such strength…!' Kosai thought in slight duress under the kunoichi's grip, feeling the power surging through her small frame; ready to break his neck or simply rip his head clean from his shoulders. 'I won't be extinguished this easily.'

"Too bad we can't kill you though…" She grumbled in disappointment, lifting and kicking Kosai stiffly in the back; launching the young man twenty meters toward her allies. "So unfair! That would've been really cool." she complained, her enemy's body flying passed her friends as they arrived. "Hey guys, is it okay if I'm his opponent?"

"Uh- sure, Kiken." Naruto allowed in confusion, looking toward the source of the hot chakra behind the billowing, black smoke clouds. "Neji, Hinata, what do you see?"

"I…I don't know what that is." Neji admitted uneasily, his white eyes studying the surging power beyond the visual obstructions.

"Yume, the tense man blocked your combination assault with Kiken." Hinata explained, wide-eyed as she observed. "He's shielded by a…tremendously fierce chakra."

Looking around at his five comrades, Naruto nodded and bounded forward with his team close in tow. After two long leaps the shinobi came up on a fiery, gaping hole in the earth; the source of the hostile glowing energy.

"No…" Yume gasped, eyes filled with horror as memories of her clan's history confirmed what she was seeing. "It can't be…"

Wreathed in flame and smoke, a large shinobi knelt over a woman with another under his right arm. Wrapping around him was a yellow-red chakra formation, vaguely resembling a ribcage and two skeletal arms.

"Such power…" Ino whispered under the gust permeating off of the elite Uchiha below.

"What…what is he?" Naruto asked, concern for the safety of his team emerging in the depths of his core.

"This is bad…" Yume whispered in fear, her voice soft and wary. "This is an extremely dangerous and secret technique of my clan…this is the Susano'o."

"We don't have time for an explanation." Neji admitted stiffly, observing the man with his back to them lift the woman up to her feet and set the second one down. "Get ready…!"

"Yushin-taichou." Kosai called, appearing beside the larger man before he could fully turn to face their enemy. "Be careful not to strain yourself with that ability. It's too soon."

"I know that…" the large Uchiha submitted, allowing the cloak to dissipate. "We aren't going to need it anyway."

"Let us handle them, captain." Shiori offered, stepping in front of the man as he clutched his left eye. "We can defeat them."

"Besides," Reina commented, taking her place in front of the other three rogues, "how can I redeem myself if you destroy them Yushin-taichou?"

"Alright, looks like we get to have our fun!" Kosai said luminously, removing his hands from his black and white Uchiha-styled jacket to point toward the six opposing shinobi. "Are you ready?"

Naruto studied the heavily breathing captain, making sure he didn't make eye-contact with any of the shinobi but Reina; Kiken and Ino doing the same as they looked on.

Yume, who was receiving a killing glare from Reina's direction, stared down apathetically. "Oi, Reina-baka was it?"

"I'm going to kill you, bitch." the silver-haired kunoichi uttered with clenched teeth, taking care not to look Yume in the face again. "I'm going to _kill_ you, and **rip** out your eyes!"

" _ **Listen**_!" Naruto yelled, getting the attention of all nine ninja. "We don't need to fight!" the jonin tried reasoning before things reached the point of no return.

"If you're trying to coerce us to going back to Konoha, you can forget it." Kosai commented in return. "There's no place for us there anymore." He finished, Shiori shifting beside him.

"You can't know that until you try!" Naruto continued, not giving up on them. "You don't have to be rogues, it's not too late to- "

"Listen, kid." Yushin's deep voice inserted, echoing in a boom against the walls of the pit as he turned to face them. "None of us want to return to that place. The Uchiha don't belong there; the rest of my clan just hasn't seen it yet."

"Hey, dumbass, _I'm_ Uchiha!" Yume yelled, looking hard into the large man's uncovered right sharingan. "I fit in perfectly with these people. They're my friends and family."

"There's more to the Uchiha than you know of, Yume." Yushin replied, startling the six Leaf ninja as he removed the hand from his lightly bleeding left sharingan. "And we can show you the true power you have, if- "

" _ **Shutup**_!" Yume yelled furiously, "You're an idiot if you think I'd ever turn my back on these people! They're the ones I cherish and fight beside; what kind of monster betrays that?!"

"Then convince them to join us as well," Kosai reasoned, hands spread in welcome, "or die a wretched death."

"Stop talking like you could kill us at any moment!" Ino asserted, eyes shut as she yelled. "We outnumber and out-power you, so just give up already before you get your friends hurt!"

"These aren't my friends…?" Kosai proclaimed calmly, pointing a thumb back at his comrades. "This is my family now. I won't be turning on mine just like you won't be turning on yours. We will kill you and continue with our lives." He finished matter-of-factly.

"Ergh, are you done stalling?!" Reina accused, condemning Naruto with a clenched fist. "You're all dead!"

"It's not stalling if I'm trying to- " Naruto started desperately.

" **Enough!** " Reina shouted maniacally, dashing through six hand signs before raising two fingers to her pursed lips. "Taiju Yoyu doku-dan (Multiple Melting Poison Bullets)!"

The woman spat six boulder-sized globs of green slime at the Konoha jonin a dozen meters away, hurtling toward them with sickening speed.

"Futon: Zekkyo Yari (Wind Style: Screaming Spear)!" Naruto huffed hurriedly, billowing large piercing wind gusts from his mouth through the projectiles as fast as he could while he and his team jumped away, only managing to blow a hole through the first three.

"Katon: Fenikkusu no Tsubasa Shirudo (Fire Style: Wing Shield of the Phoenix)!" Yume shouted simultaneously after nineteen hand signs, spewing a concentrated flame that took the form of an outstretched feathered wing that extended from the girl's mouth a dozen meters. Positioned between the team and the incoming poison spheres, the roaring jutsu stayed in place for a few seconds while the ninja retreated; slowing the incoming bursts considerably while setting them aflame and skewing their trajectory to her left.

Making it out in time, Naruto and his team watched as the splatter of the remaining jutsu dissolved the stone and brick to a gaping hole where they had stood moments ago.

"Time to get to work." Kosai stated as he and his comrades jumped from the pit to face their opponents in the open snow.

. . .

"Let's go bitch!" Reina called out, her golden eyes reflecting furious determination as she rushed Yume with senbon at the ready while the tall girl brandished her scarlet whip fastened together with Fang.

"As if I'd let you!" Hinata shouted as she rushed ahead to intercept her ally's attacker, glowing fingertips at the ready.

"As if you have a choice." Shiori grunted in serious rebuttal, slashing at the Hyuga heiress with her chokuto.

"Don't make me hurt you…!" Hinata pleaded as she easily swerved and evaded the Uchiha's advances.

Approaching the Hyuga, Yume made to engage the long-haired Uchiha woman before a hand burst from the ground and grabbed her ankle. Yume's forward motion caused her to swing downward and hit the ground roughly before Reina emerged from the rubble.

" **I** am your opponent, _Yume-_ _ **baka**_!" she spat hatefully, senbon imbedding themselves into the ground where the young kunoichi had been as she returned to her feet.

"You're going to need more than needles to ever beat _me_!" Yume laughed, cracking her whip as Reina dodged the bladed end of the dual weapon.

. . .

Meanwhile, Yushin appeared before Neji and Naruto with a downward axe-kick, which they successfully avoided as the large Uchiha's blow annihilated the ground they once stood on.

" _Come on_!" the man shouted with indignation, his physically impressive figure tensing visibly. "Show me what Konoha's jinchuuriki is made of!"

"Bring it on big guy!" Naruto insisted, standing his ground as Neji joined his side. "I'll take this one, go help those two!"

"They've got the situation under control. This man is the real danger." Neji affirmed calmly, taking his signature Gentle Fist stance.

"Yushin-taichou, they're the worst possible opponents for you right now." Kosai called out as he appeared beside his captain. "Allow me to assist."

"No, silly!" a woman's casually bright voice insisted as Kiken appeared between Kosai and Yushin in a burst of fire. " _I_ am your opponent, don't you remember?"

"Why you- !" Yushin grunted as he brought a lightning fast elbow down on the girl.

Dodging in a dance-like bob, the horned woman twirled away from Yushin; positioning herself behind Kosai's right shoulder. In a frozen moment, brief beyond compare, Naruto and Neji looked on in dread as Kiken's visage flashed something of a malicious, grim killing intent.

In a single impressive motion, Kosai flipped behind the woman, finally putting his gunbai to use as he brought the weapon down fiercely. To his dismay, the young man's assault was stopped short by a wickedly fast upward kick; causing the green haired kunoichi to giggle as she performed a vertical split. Punching the traitor hard in the gut before bringing her leg down, Kiken then sent a cruel kick to his chin. Blocking the solid blow with his gunbai, the Uchiha nimbly jumped away.

"Naruto!" Ino called from her position behind them; being the member to jump furthest from the initial poison attack. "That jutsu isn't working on them, they're too…focused."

"Alright, stick to offensive-only techniques!" Naruto ordered, keeping his eyes trained on the muscular Uchiha's midsection. The enemy seemed to be incredibly prepared. "We're going to have to wear them down before you use that. Go help the others, Neji and I can handle Yushin!"

"Yes sir!" Ino responded as she departed in a flurry of wind and flowers.

. . .

Yume couldn't help but smirk as she fought Reina, keeping the woman from initiating a taijutsu clash while simultaneously deflecting all projectiles with elegant waves of her whip.

"Maybe you should just look into my eyes." Yume suggested haughtily, blocking another volley of kunai alongside poisoned senbon. "I think you did better in my genjutsu."

"Ugh, shut the fuck _up_!" Reina shrieked, summoning chakra as she jumped away. Finishing twenty one hand signs as she landed, the silver-haired woman grinned with fingers encircled around her full lips, "Sansei Shitchi-ju no jutsu (Acidic Swamp Beast jutsu)!"

From Reina's mouth gushed a brown-green muck that soared toward the loyal Leaf kunoichi. Having no choice but to dodge in a shunshin as the viscous liquid slapped the ground and billowed poisonous steam, Yume looked on as the goo began to form a distorted shape. Vaguely resembling a large bear-like lizard with tentacles, the artificial monstrosity began to solidify as it burned the earth it stood on.

"Suiton: Ekitai no Itami (Water Style: Liquid Pain)!" Reina shouted from her new position behind Yume, shooting thousands of condensed water bullets at the Leaf kunoichi.

"Hahh- " Yume gasped as hundreds of the water projectiles pummeled her back and left side, bruising and cutting her viciously. Using her sharingan to dodge as many as possible, the braided Uchiha jumped powerfully over the acid beast to use as shelter while Reina's torrent of projectiles didn't cease.

Even viewed through her sharingan, the animated creature turned around in an instant. Seeming to absorb the water that struck it, the fiend pounced at the girl in lightning fast lunges. Using its claws and tentacles in quick sweeps, the beast violently attempted to snag and liquefy Yume.

'Maybe I can melt it with fire…' Yume thought urgently, completing seven hand seals as she dodged before sucking in a large breath; planting her feet in the snow. "Katon: Eien Gokakyu no jutsu (Eternal Great Fireball jutsu)!"

Exploding from her lips came a behemoth orb of superheated chakra, engulfing and flowing passed the slimy creation. Following the first comet continued a smaller stream of fire before another large infernal blast surged from the tall Uchiha heiress.

'I hope she got caught in that.' Yume thought, biting off the jutsu after she released six waves of the technique. 'That was a lot of chakra, and she's really annoying.'

. . .

Kosai couldn't initiate a single ninjutsu while he fought the insanely strong kunoichi hand-to-hand. Unrelenting in her taijutsu assault, Kiken had the powerful young shinobi at the disadvantage for the entirety of their interactions.

"What's the matter?" Kiken asked unhappily, frowning at her opponent as they exchanged blows that released shockwaves upon each blocked impact. "By the way you were acting earlier I thought you were really tough…"

"Aw, don't be disappointed, Kiken-chan." Kosai addressed sadly as he reflected her frown, using her name formally since they traded names a minute before. "I am strong, but so are you. We could be evenly matched, you know."

"Oh?" Kiken sighed, stopping cold to think as the Uchiha expected another blow, causing him to stumble before he regained his composure. "Nah, I'm definitely stronger. Even when you're a cheater!"

"Cheater?" Kosai asked, giving it thought before realizing she was referring to his dojutsu. "Ohh, my sharingan? If you think _that's_ cheating, you should see Yushin-taichou when he's not in recovery, and at full strength."

"I'm not interested!" Kiken admitted with a smile, removing a scroll from a pouch on the small of her back. "This was fun, but now it's time to wrap it up."

Opening the scroll with a graceful wave, a puff of smoke dropped a long weapon into her palm.

"Oh? Time to get serious?" Kosai asked lamely as he tried to see passed the smoke, removing the gunbai from his back with a sigh. "I guess you're right."

Clearing the impediment with a great swing of his war fan, Kosai was pleased with what filled his view before he realized the danger it posed.

Kiken stood with a regal posture, boasting a wickedly designed black bow. It was a weapon of stark contrast to the shinobi. But nevertheless, it seemed to compliment her; displaying deep purple engravings of a jagged nature that traced throughout the powerful weapon that added a sinister feel to it. Smiling, she held the drawstring back taught with a similarly designed arrow fully knocked.

"Goodbye!" Kiken offered after releasing the drawstring.

"Ah-!" Kosai's body screamed for him to move faster as he made to dodge and block. However, she was just too close, and her arrow too swift.

. . .

"Hakkesho Kaiten (Eight Trigrams: Palms Heavenly Rotation)!" Hinata voiced, spinning rapidly as she released a flood of chakra from her tenketsu (chakra points).

Blasted harshly by the brutally spinning chakra dome, Shiori was launched backwards eight meters before she landed on her feet. Readying her chokuto once more, the Uchiha sucked in a gust of air.

"Don't make me hurt you, Hinata-san." Shiori warned breathlessly through puffed cheeks. "Just go _home_."

"I will." Hinata admitted, ending her rotation as she took a unique, augmented Gentle Fist stance. "With you laid over my shoulder."

"You leave me no choice…" Shiori whispered apologetically, swallowing more air, "Katon: Yurika no jutsu (Fire Style: Fire Lily jutsu)!"

Holding her sword out in front of her with the blade between their unrelenting eye contact, Shiori released a fireball the size of a house over her short sword.

'Not good!' Hinata thought as she performed Hakkesho Kaiten once more in an attempt to survive the overwhelmingly powerful technique. 'She's strong…'

Immediately ending her rotation once the inferno passed, Hinata was greeted with a diagonally swinging sword consumed in flames.

The Hyuga's relaxed eyes widened in shock as she moved to dodge the attack. Not fast enough, as the woman was already upon her cutting a deep gash from her left ribcage to her right hip.

Biting back a cry of pain, Hinata used her agony to focus. Taking a single, mind-clearing breath she grabbed Shiori's swinging right tricep firmly with her right hand. Moving like liquid lightning, she pulled down and held it in place. The white-eyed jonin activated her byakugan to make sure she didn't kill the young kunoichi with her next move.

'She's out of breath,' Hinata thought briefly, observing the tiring shinobi in her powerful dojutsu, 'that last technique must have taken a toll. Now is the time…'

"Hidiohari (Violent Needle)…!" Hinata whispered fiercely, pitilessly jamming two fingers deep into the Uchiha's right oblique.

Shiori's eyes bulged and dimmed to black once more as she gasped, her insides rupturing from the force of Hinata's mercifully reduced technique.

"It's over…" Hinata sputtered, holding the woman close to her as they fell to their knees, bloodied in the crimson powder. "Don't make me kill you."

"No…" Shiori whispered, eyes closing as she attempted to move while her body failed her. "I can't…he'll destroy…"

A quiet sigh followed by small, steady breaths gave Hinata the all-clear.

'Haah, thank goodness…' she thought as the woman fell unconscious in her lap, clutching the terrible wound across her abdomen as her vision dimmed. 'Stubborn Uchiha.'

. . .

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!" Yushin bellowed as he released two consecutive fireballs of great size in an attempt to corner the two jonin facing him.

Observing the scorched earth after the hits cratered the ground, Yushin noticed movement behind him as Naruto finally struck a palm to the man's neck, stabbing a kunai into his shoulder as Neji jammed up several tenketsu in the muscular Uchiha's midsection.

Disappearing from sight with wicked speed, Neji and Naruto reveled in their small victory as their taijutsu-focused enemy yelled in pain a small distance away.

" _I hit him in his core_ ," Neji said under his breath so only his captain could hear, " _that should slow down his fire release techniques_."

" _I got a successful tag done_ ," Naruto replied in a hush, generating a rasengan in his right palm, " _and I stabbed him in the shoulder for good measure_."

"Huh?!" Neji gasped, noticing something with his byakugan that Naruto couldn't see.

"Wha-"

"Hinata's been wounded…!" Neji announced in disbelief, causing his blonde companion to go wide-eyed.

"What do you mean…where is she?!" Naruto snapped, his body tensing in anger at the thought of one of his team mates, let alone Hinata, on the edge of life.

"I'll go get her Naruto." Neji assured confidently, preparing to lie to the Uzumaki. "You take out their captain, she's gonna be alright. I misjudged."

"She better be…" the blonde whispered as Neji departed quickly, attracting the attention of the strongest sharingan user among them.

'She has to be.' Naruto thought as he felt his blood boil from the fury rising in every cell of his being. 'There will be hell to pay if she's not.'

 **End**

* * *

 **I've been writing every second of my free time that I had on these two days off, so I am dead.**

 **I had something important to say, but my mind is toast at the moment. Oh well.**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	13. Festive Spirits (Holiday Special 2015)

**I do not own Naruto.**

 *** Christmas Special 2015 ***

 **(This is** **CANON** **)**

 **~ * New Horizons' main story will continue in 2016. * ~**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

 ***** **Last Winter; Konoha** *****

The village hidden by leaves was bustling brightly with activity under a smooth blanket of snow and a clear, twilight sky. A warm and giving spirit filled the atmosphere as civilians and shinobi alike got together to celebrate the holiday spirit of the Rinne Festival.

Closing in on the peak of the celebration, Naruto and his friends gradually came together to revel in the merriments that their village had to offer during this annual tradition.

Naruto sat at a large rectangular table between his two team mates Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata. With their backs to the counter, the ninja trio watched with glee as their old masked sensei juggled four kunai, three Ichi-Ichi (Make-Out Series) books, two sake bottles and a heavy weighted disc.

"Now throw in some women!" Jiraiya exclaimed naughtily, blushing like a goof from his consumption of spiked holiday drinks. "Hahahah, come on ya show off!"

"Ahh, Jiraiya-sama." Sasuke mumbled with a laugh, shaking his head in amusement. "Moron."

"Still eccentric as ever." Hinata added with a giggle. "I hope he really doesn't throw a woman on Kakashi-sensei."

"Nah, he's harmless." Naruto offered with a laugh, shaking his head absent mindedly. "Well in this case at least… heh."

Laughing in a tipsy haze, the great white maned sannin lifted one of the women at his side up with a single palm and hefted her at the poor juggling jonin.

Suddenly, between the two white haired men appeared another shinobi. Shirtless, with matching hair color that was much shorter than his elders, the tall young man caught the woman before a wide eyed Kakashi bearing a sweatdrop and a thankful expression could be toppled.

"Phew," a flushed Kakashi sighed as he didn't bother keeping his eyes on the items he continued to throw in sequence, "thanks for the save, Unzari."

"* _No problem Kakashi-sensei_ *; Jiraiya-sama, the sun hasn't even set yet." Yuki Unzari said with an amused shake of his head, smiling sheepishly at the blushing woman in his brawny arms. "Eheh, hey there…"

"Ohh? Unzari-kun, is that your new girlfriend?" a bright voice asked innocently as a short girl with smooth, backward curved horns arrived beside him joined by a tall girl with long, wavy black hair. "I thought you were only interested in- "

"Hey Jiraiya-sama!" the tall Uchiha spoke up, deliberately cutting off her bubbly, green-haired comrade; sharing a short and silent 'Thank you' and 'You're welcome' with her male team mate. "It certainly looks like you're enjoying yourself."

"Aww kid, why'd you have to ruin that? It would've been so _awesome_!" Jiraiya complained before the black eyed girl acknowledged him. "Oh, hello Yume! Ayy, come on I always enjoy myself, if you know what ah- "

"Nice save Unzari!" Naruto praised, getting up to meet the half-naked ninja as he released and quietly shooed the nameless woman away.

"Hey man, lucky timing did most of the work." he said modestly, hugging the shorter blonde jinchuuriki. "How are you guys tonight? What's up Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan."

"Hey man." Sasuke greeted as he approached, tipping his fuzzy red hat with white trim as Hinata joined the small festively clothed group in kind, the holiday goers flowing around them like a lazy river passed stone. "How are you Kiken-chan, Yume-chan?"

"Yeah, how are you two? It's been a while since we've all been able to socialize." Naruto added, regarding the two kunoichi with a pleasant smile.

"I've been great!" Kiken answered happily, jumping into Naruto as she gave him a welcoming hug, Yume shyly shifting in place. "We three have been training harder than ever lately. We want to be able to take down jester over there."

"I heard that." Kakashi said lamely from within the crowd behind them.

"Doesn't make it any less true!" the green haired girl teased with a wink of her frost colored eye.

"So what are the plans for tonight?" Unzari asked openly, questioning the seven of them as a whole.

"Well I think we're still going to wait for the others to join us." Naruto answered with a hand on his chin in thought. "But other than that I didn't think we had solid plans."

"Hey, I'm cool with anything." Yume said with a smirk, looking around her friends with happiness in her belly. "As long as we're all here, I'm sure it'll be a good time."

"Oh, look." Hinata said calmly, stretching an arm out to gesture through the crowd. "There's Kiba-kun."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan is with him too!" Kiken said with a glow, moving like water through the crowd to retrieve them.

"Kiba-kuun! Sakura-chaaan!" the merry young woman called as she reached the others. "Hi you two!"

"Oh, there you are!" Sakura said radiantly, giving the girl dressed in a fuzzy short red dress with white trim a friendly hug.

"Hey there Kiken-chan!" Kiba said with a toothy grin, accepting her quick hug with a pat. "Have you found the others yet or are you gonna help us search?"

"Oh yes, the rest of us are over there." She explained as she let go. "Have you seen that Ino-Shika-Cho trio yet?"

"We bumped into them earlier, but they _just_ split off to help look for you." Sakura explained with an amused expression.

"Heh, suckers." Kiba scoffed, locking his hands behind his head in playful arrogance.

"C'mon _ladies_ , let's group up and wait for the rest to arrive." the barefoot girl suggested with a smile, guiding them to their larger group of friends.

"Unzari, what's up you naked bastard!" Kiba greeted in a wide smile, locking hands with the shirtless young man competitively.

"Hey buddy, took you long enough!" Unzari laughed, shaking Kiba's hand firmly before letting go to greet the pink haired kunoichi. "How do you do, Sakura-chan?"

"Oh stop Unzari-baka." Sakura said in pretend exasperation, hugging the white haired boy's muscular figure. "It's been so long."

"So have either of you seen Ino-chan? With Shikamaru and Choji, of course." Unzari asked eagerly before smoothly mending his questionable inquiry to help keep suspicion over his excitement to a minimum.

"Ahh, yeah we did." Kiba answered, thinking of where they could be now. "But we split up to look for you all. I'm sure they'll turn up soon or something." he finished with a shrug of casual disinterest.

"Ooi, **oi oi**!" a man shouted with gusto. "That final pork roast belongs to **me**! Hand it over, or face the pummeling of the _century_!"

"Aaah, Choji… You can't go around threatening people over food." another man's voice remarked lazily. "Plus you'll get in serious trouble hurting a normal guy. Geez, where's your 'giving holiday spirit' now?"

"O- " the large young man grunted, unmoving as he continued staring down the nervous and confused bystander with the 'final' pork roast steaming on his rather empty plate. "…I will buy it from you! Allow me to purchase that godlystrip of meat, or face the consequences…!" he asserted less harshly, clenching a raised fist for emphasis.

"Uhh-uh sure!?" the man said, extending the plate towards the riled up Akimichi who, impressively enough, substituted out the pork with money in the blink of an eye.

" **Thank you good sir!** " Choji bellowed heartily as the man stepped back, pocketing the money to turn and refill his plate with the newly cooked pork strips. "Yosh! Now, you delicious final strip of divinity, get inside me! _Houwhmp_!"

"I'm sorry about our friend." a fairly tall woman with platinum blonde hair apologized, approaching the man Choji was about to assault.

"It's alright, jonin-san." the man said with a sweatdrop, smiling sheepishly. "I'll just keep that in mind; don't take the last piece, eheh. Not a problem." he finished awkwardly before departing to join his family.

"Ergh, _Choji_!" the red and white clad woman yelled, turning towards the hefty ninja in a fake white beard and glasses before he cowered at the sight of his infuriated team mate; who made to strike him before she felt eyes on her.

"Ino-chan!" a cheerful voice called, catching the blonde's attention.

"Oh? Kiken-chan?" the Yamanaka questioned, turning her gaze toward the group. "Hah, hey everyone!" she greeted pleasantly, totally dropping her previous killing intent.

" _That was close._ " Choji whispered to his male teammate.

" _You're_ so _troublesome_ …" Shikamaru replied, shaking his head.

"Hey Ino, Shikamaru, Choji!" the eight other ninja greeted happily, the ninth shinobi (Jiraiya) unable to function through the booze and nosebleeds he was subjecting himself to at the open bar across the snowy street.

"Hey, we match!" Kiken greeted happily, hugging her taller comrade. "You look so cute!"

"Aww, so do you!" Ino endeared, looking over the girl whose horns were hidden under her festive red and white hat. "It's not too short is it?"

"It is super short on us both, but your white leggings make it okay!" she insisted with a warm smile.

"But you're not wearing leggings, what about-"

"Oh I don't need those!" Kiken interrupted with a sly wink, brushing lush hair behind a pointed ear as Ino blushed involuntarily.

"Hey Naruto!" Shikamaru greeted as he approached the blonde, the group naturally shifting into two halves: Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Yume and Kiken; Unzari, Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru, Sasuke and Choji.

"Hey, Shikamaru! Choji!" Naruto met with a smile, shaking the shadow-user's hand as the Nara shinobi joined the boys with Choji chewing at his side.

"What's up guys?" Sasuke replied, welcoming the two newcomers. "Hey, why don't we find somewhere to sit? We're kind of in the way of…well everyone." the oldest Uchiha among them finished, noticing their blockage of the major walkway.

"That sounds good to me." Unzari agreed, turning to the women at his left as the other young men nodded in approval. "Hey you ladies, follow us for a minute. We're going to find a place to sit as a group."

"Fine by me!" Sakura accepted, a pleasant smile gracing her features as she glanced between her companions.

"Whatever you say, Unzari-kun!" Kiken acknowledged with a spirited salute, the other girls following as the male half started for their new destination.

The eleven friends walked as they caught up and celebrated each other's company with tails of their recent experiences, sharing thoughts and jokes alike.

Finally reaching a large central plaza in a food court not too far from their previous location, Naruto guided his friendly assembly toward the tables. Using the sufficient man power at his disposal, the boys quickly pushed and amassed several free tables together to combine them into a valid sitting area for their ample numbers to sit comfortably.

"So Sasuke," Kiba started as they all took their places. "I heard that you're gonna be leavin' us soon?"

"Well I'll still be around," Sasuke explained as several worried looks accompanied Kiba's innocent inquiry. "I'm just gonna be busy with a secret project. I'll be working closely with the Anbu under Obito-sensei."

"Oh wow!" Kiba jeered excitedly alongside the rest of the table who had begun listening. Naruto nodded in solemn agreement beside a quiet Hinata as they already knew of his incoming departure from the front lines.

"Man, Obito-sama… That's awesome Sasuke-kun!" Yume admired, pride for her friend and clan blossoming in her chest before she remembered her feelings and fought back some rosy cheeks.

"Thanks everyone, thanks Yume-chan." Sasuke accepted gratefully, mildly caught off guard by the miniature ceremony before quickly regaining his cool; Yume silently losing hers beside Kiken, who separated the Uchiha.

"You know, I appreciate each and every one of you." Naruto announced as he stared through the table before glancing back up to look at his friends. "I mean it."

"Awwww, Naruto-kun's being soft!" Ino teased wryly, biting her lip subconsciously as the rest of them laughed and joined in.

"Tough jonin Naruto is really just a cute little chibi, isn't he?" Unzari chimed in, elbowing his right side playfully as the Uzumaki looked at his Uchiha team mate who chuckled quietly, ignoring the silent plea for help in his eyes.

"I always knew you were a big sweetheart!" Kiken fawned, resting her chin on her hands as she looked over the blonde with her big icy eyes. 'He's such a cutie!'

"Well we love you too, Naruto." Sasuke said with a grin, serious in his response.

"Hell yeah!" Kiba exclaimed, throwing an arm around Naruto as well as Sakura to his left. "I love **all** of you; you're the _best_!"

"I honestly can't imagine this place without you, Naruto-kun." Hinata added beside Sasuke, locking eyes with the man she admired for a moment.

"Ah, troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered with a smirk after including his reciprocation of the jinchuuriki's feelings.

"It might be, but you gotta admit," Choji offered between crisps, "Naruto's pretty awesome. We have _really_ good shinobi here."

"Kh, I know that." Shikamaru said almost bashfully, looking from Choji across from him toward the center of the tables where Naruto was sitting. "It's all still, just…troublesome."

The comrades enjoyed each other's company and valued their time together. They were leagues closer than most ninja dreamt of being, especially in a group almost a dozen strong.

Celebrating into the night, the friends slowly trickled home as the snow began to fall; charged to paint a fresh coat of powder for the wonderful morning ahead.

 ***** **End** *****

* * *

 **Contrary to what might be in the popular belief of my readers, there is a lot of energy that goes into all the details I select and create for the settings, characters and plot for all of what I write. There's a considerable amount of time put into the past, character backgrounds, appearances etcetera.**

 **This is work.**

 **Even though I love it, it takes mucho effort. I'm trying to relax this December, since I'm physically working a ton. I decided to write JUST for fun until the holidays pass.**

 **Everyone please have a wonderful winter season, and be safe!**

 **A sequel to this will drop before the Christmas holiday ends (technically Jan. 6** **th** **)**

 **~ * New Horizons' main story will continue in 2016. * ~**

 *** Merry Christmas, and thank you so much for reading! ***

 *** :) Kyzer (: ***


	14. Day of Rinne (Holiday Special 2015)

**I do not own Naruto.**

 **The holidays are over, and here is the final:**

 *** Christmas Special 2015 ***

 **(This is still** **CANON** **)**

 **~ * New Horizon's main story set to continue within the month. * ~**

 **Happy New Year, and welcome to 2016!**

* * *

 ***** **Konoha; Uzumaki Clan District** *****

It was a cold, crisp morning in the Leaf village. The overcast sky continued to blanket the lands in ornate white crystals. It had been a peaceful and calm celebration during the time of the Festival brought by winter, and the coming of the hidden, rising sun marked the dawn of the Day of Rinne.

Within the warm walls of the Uzumaki's estate, a very anxious little girl began to stir.

"Mnng…"

"…"

A bright blue eye with a glistening green tint peeped open in the dimly lit room. Staring for a moment at the twinkling light seeping through her doorframe, the small child came upon a sudden realization.

"Huuh! OH!" the small girl yelped as she threw the covers from herself, getting up in a haste.

Rushing through her door in a fervor she immediately turned left, the young girl busting into the room beside hers.

"Naruto-oniisan, Naruto-o **nii** san!" the tiny child sang in joy, leaping onto the sleeping figure curled up in a blanket donned in a black and white walrus cap. "Get _uuup_! It's the Day of Rinne!"

"Oof!" the older brother grunted as his sibling launched herself atop him. "Erngh, Ayama-chan- five more minutes…"

"What! **Come onnn**!" Ayama pleaded dramatically, collapsing to her back on the sleepy blonde; her spikey, elbow length hair fanned across his neck and face. "You _gotta_ get up. We still have to wake mom and dad!"

"Urh, do I _have to_?" Naruto asked lazily, not bothering to brush the tickling hair from his face.

"Of course!" Ayama exclaimed in her tiny voice, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Presents, oniisan!"

"Okay, okay but do you know what the price is for jumping on a sleeping shinobi?" Naruto asked, a hair hidden grin marking his mischief.

"Huh? What is it?" Ayama asked, turning her head left and upward trying to look Naruto in the eyes before he suddenly wrapped his arms around her causing her to squeal loudly.

"Tickles!" Naruto shouted, trapping the small ninja in his arms as she giggled wildly.

"Noo!" she screamed through her laughter. "Stop- ah! Stop, we gotta go!"

"*sigh* Fiine, let's go you little water droplet." the elder sibling conceded, letting her free for which she was grateful before disappearing through his door; listening as her petit feet raced down the stairs.

Reaching the landing quickly, Ayama stopped hastily in front of her parent's door. Creaking it open, she slipped through and into their room.

"Psst, mommy? Daddy, wake up!" she whispered as she scaled the bed, crawling to lay across her father and mother. "It's Rinne, you gotta get up already, come on!"

"Hm, is it the Day of Rinne _already_?" Minato asked softly, attempting to look at the child laying on his back.

"Hrngh, five more minutes, okay sweetie?" Kushina grumbled lightly, attempting to pull the covers currently snagged by her daughter's weight.

"No, you can't use that, oniisan already tried!" Ayama explained under her breath, growing more anxious by the second. "Get up you lazy bones!"

"Alright, Ayama, I'm up." her father submitted, gently rolling to his back and lifting her into a cradle as he stood. "Come on, Kushina. We shouldn't keep her waiting any longer, she might just open her presents without us."

"C'mon mom, don't make us _all_ jump on you." the lethargic voice of her brother warned with a grin as he entered the grand room. "And by all I mean us three, _plus_ clones." Naruto finished with a sleepily wry smirk.

"Oh fine…" Kushina sighed lamely, stretching in bed before rising suddenly. "Yosh. It's the Day of Rinne, no time to be lazy. Let's go Ayama!"

"Yayy!" Ayama cheered happily, hopping from her father's arms and sprinting out of the door and to the right into the living room with her elders in sluggish pursuit.

Entering the living room the tiny energetic girl was greeted with lush decorations of greens, whites and reds. A tree stood proudly in the corner to her right, decorated with lights and familial valuables as the tree represented life as well as growth.

Under the symbolic tree lay several beautifully wrapped boxes with small labels.

"Ooo! Naruto-oniisan, one of them is for you!" Ayama informed delightedly as she took her seat against the wall beside the gifts.

"You can go first Ayama-chan." Naruto offered with a smile, taking a seat to the left across from her with his back to a couch.

"Okay!" she allowed easily, quickly choosing the larger of the boxes. "It says: 'From the Uzumaki Family'. Oh sweet, thank you all!"

"You're very welcome sweetie." Kushina said, smiling warmly as she joined her husband on the floor facing their children.

Excitedly removing the gold and white paper, the small Uzumaki opened the box to pull out a cute plush octopus that was over half her size.

"Haah!" she gasped in awe before squeezing the stuffed animal in her arms. "Thank you, thank you! I love her- I gotta show Gyuki-sama."

"Hah good! We thought you'd like it." Naruto said happily, thoroughly enjoying his sister's glee. "Killer Bee will be around soon, I'll be sure to have him visit you."

"Okay!" she replied with a smile, looking from her brother to her father.

"Go ahead Ayama." Minato offered in mellow excitement. "You have three more."

"Naruto's next, okay? …Eee, it's from mommy!" the six year old squealed as she tore through the gorgeous wrapping of her second gift. "Awwh, a dress…I love it." she finished as her eyes scanned the fine outfit.

Held out in both of her small hands was a white dress with intricate black stitching that bared magnificent, flowery embroidery and a modest Uzumaki clan insignia on the left rib and belly.

"I thought you would like it. I had it customized specifically so that it could be modified to grow with you as you get bigger." Kushina explained with pride. "It's also very durable, so it should last a long-long time."

"I love it mommy, thanks!" she finished gratefully, turning her attention to her brother as she held out the gift marked with his name. "Your turn oniisan!"

"Heh, thanks Ayama-chan." Naruto accepted, taking the present with a smile before slowly unwrapping and opening it. "Oh wow."

Within the long box lay a smaller ornate case. Packed snuggly within was a thick metallic scroll on a heavy guiding rod topped with firm red handles. Unfurling the weighty scroll, Naruto read the words laid upon the material.

"'We believe in you, Naruto. **We love you.** ' Ahh guys I love it… It feels like it's… Oh I don't know. Heheh, what is it?"

"Well it was Ayama's idea originally." Kushina stated, nodding toward her daughter after the little one looked upward in curiosity. "She and I were talking about you when you were away on one of your high ranked missions a couple months ago. She thought it'd be nice for you to have something that reminded you of us when you're gone."

"Then when your mom brought the conversation to my attention I thought it'd be a good idea to make it a reality for you." Minato followed up, taking over for his wife. "It's a very durable scroll that I had Kakashi help me engrave with his lightning chakra. It has a few tricks hidden in it."

"Woah…" Naruto said in awe, regarding the scroll with enhanced interest. "Like what?"

"Well, you can directly communicate with us whenever you wish. No matter what. Simply write in ink on the smoothed section and a scroll by my desk upstairs will inherit the message." Minato said with a grin, smiling wider as his son's expression grew even more awestruck. "I'll let you figure the rest out. It should be easy; I left clues for you."

"Thanks, all of you." Naruto said, still in light shock. "Thank you so much Ayama, mom and dad!"

"You're very welcome!" his parents granted in unison.

"I'm glad you like it oniisan!" Ayama added before he wrapped her up in a big hug.

"Of course droplet!" he replied, holding her tight before setting her back down.

"Okay I'll open daddy's next." she said as she lifted a thin box up. Unwrapping the gift revealed a modest wooden box. Lifting the top off of the wide case revealed a special weapons set. "Haah, wow!" Ayama gasped with wide eyes. "My own sword! Metal wire, _sealing_ scrolls?! Kunai, shuriken…needles? Thanks daddy!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now you can practice at home and see which ones you like." Minato informed pleasantly. "I thought you'd like something ninja-oriented since you entered the academy this year."

"Thank you!" she shouted in joyous appreciation. "I love all of it. You're the best family. Ever!"

"The last one's from me." Naruto said proudly, excited to see her face. "I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy it."

"I believe it!" she stated confidently as she grabbed the smallest of the boxes, happily tearing the regal paper to shreds. "Wow…" Ayama whispered as her eyes grew wide.

In the small box was an ornate clip in the form of an elegant blue-green leaf made of crystal atop a dark, glossy metal. The intricate hairpiece brilliantly contrasted her strawberry blonde hair.

"Do you like it? I made it from a gem found where Suifuto lives. Remember her, the white fox with red eyes?" Naruto asked as his little sister studied the ornament avidly.

"Oh yeah! She lets me ride her, I love her…" Ayama announced, drifting in thought as she admired the symbolic leaf. "I love it oniisan, thank you _so_ much!"

"You're welcome, Ayama-chan." the blonde brother said with a wide grin, accepting her jumping hug as his parents joined in.

"I love my family." the happy little girl stated, soaking in all of the warm, radiating affection. "Happy Rinne."

 *** End ***

* * *

 **Hope you liked this cute little entry.**

 **Chapter 13 is hot on the way.**

 **I'm a busy man, but I'll make it through; like I always do!**

 *** Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and thank you very much for reading! ***

 *** :) Kyzer (: ***


	15. Wounded Results

**13**

 **-Wounded Results-**

* * *

 **Land of Iron; Kakashi**

Sneaking in the shivering shadows, a lone shinobi elite crept between the stalagmites of this hostile cave. A fragment of the darkness, Kakashi sensed multiple chakra signatures as he began to feel warmer-than-freezing air.

Gradually the cave shifted rather magnificently from rugged earth and stone into smooth white marble. Closing in on a grandiose, ornate marble doorway the white-haired man approached with increased caution.

'This is supposed to be a temporary base…?' he thought with worry, wondering if their intelligence had significantly underestimated the true nature of the danger he faced; utterly alone as he crouched in the pitch black before the impressive entrance. 'Who could warrant such a permanent structure?'

Inspecting the doors closely, Kakashi found no trace of traps or defensive measures set to guard against intruders. This discovery of a blatant lack of traps made the legendary ninja uneasy.

'Hm. Wonder if I'm in over my head.' Kakashi thought with a mental sigh, shrugging to himself before opening the marble door and slipping in with soundless grace.

 **5:27PM; Land of Tundra; Team Naruto vs. Team Yushin**

"Oh no you don't, Hyuga trash!" Yushin shouted as he noticed Neji making a quick departure. With a tensing of his figure the malevolent sharingan user cracked the ground as he launched in a chase.

Most ninja would not have seen it coming. Most ninja would have died. But most ninja have not lived within the Village Hidden in the Leaves. And most ninja do not possess the power of the sharingan.

Yushin is not most ninja.

Twisting around in a blaze of rage the malicious Uchiha caught Naruto's wrist after appearing behind him from the fabric of reality.

l l l

Rushing across the battlefield, Neji kept tabs on all of his comrades with his byakugan as he hurried for a heavily maimed Hinata in the far distance. The locations of the several battles made the shape of a parallelogram; Naruto and Neji at the southwest point, with Kiken to the northwest, Yume to the northeast, and Hinata a ways northeast further than their Uchiha comrade.

The Hyuga branch member noted Kiken's situation as the horned shinobi had kept her opponent on his toes with a flurry of her taijutsu assault before letting her deadly arrow loose. Glancing at his Uchiha subordinate, Yume unleashed an impressive application of an enhanced clan jutsu of hers as she defended herself against her angry acid-wielding opponent.

Clenching his jaw, Neji examined Hinata's body as he approached.

"Hinata!" he called, reaching the bleeding women. " **Damn** it…"

Laying the kneeling, unconscious kunoichi on her back, the white eyed man took note of her weak heartbeat. Removing a first aid kit from his pack, Neji began tediously tending to Hinata's wound as best he could while not being a medical ninja.

"Neji!" a woman's worried voice called as Ino ran to his side. "Is Hinata okay?!"

"I- I don't know." he answered in frustration.

"Let me take a look at her. I'm no Tsunade, but I can help." she assured as she relieved the submitting captain.

"I'll secure the girl." he informed her, moving from Hinata's unconscious body to Shiori's on their left. "When you're finished with her see what you can do about this girl's injuries. We can't have our only hostage dying on us."

"Of course." she reassured as her hands glowed with pulsing green chakra.

l l l

'Come on you prick.' Yume thought as she stood in a puddle near the scorched earth, her dangerous whip held tightly in her hand. 'Come back out to play.'

Looking passed the smoke she noticed the charred remains of the animated creature her opponent had unleashed a short time ago.

'Hmph. Of course she uses water and earth release.' Yume thought grumpily while she began to walk counter-clockwise around the petrified corpse in search of her enemy. 'Figures.'

Jumping suddenly, Yume had felt the slight vibrations in the earth and avoided another ankle-grab by her hateful adversary as her hand erupted from the slush.

"Give up already." the sharingan user insisted, landing two meters away as Reina stood slowly with her eyes cast at Yume's hips. "This isn't a battle you can win."

"I won't be beaten by a stupid _kid_." she spat angrily, returning her senbon back to their ninja pouches.

Yume was passively impressed by the speed of her excessive hand signs before leaping with an elegant swing of her crimson whip. The young jonin aimed a killing strike as her older opponent prepared a powerful ninjutsu.

"I don't think so." Yume breathed as the edge of Fang swung in on its doomed prey. Reina performed a blindingly precise kick against the side of the blade; saving herself as she then jumped away to finish her set up. 'Shit.'

"Hanawotsuku Shikyu no jutsu (Acrid Death Sphere jutsu)!" Reina shouted, as she mustered up as much chakra as she could into her unique ninjutsu. Virtually vomiting as the deathly muck expelled from her mouth, she inserted her chakra-infused hands into the liquid; appearing to knead the goop as it expanded into a sort of half-meter bubble.

Yume went to strike the woman in another attempt to cancel the rest of her quickly developed move until she detected the terrible smell and heavy acidic fog expanding from the steaming orb.

'Damn it, that's probably toxic too for fucks sake.' the black eyed girl thought with cautious irritation. 'I have a bad feeling about this.'

Within the smog Reina worked her technique, finally bending at the hips to press her lips to the sphere. Swallowing it up like a giant drop of water in her palms, the woman grinned as she was wholly concealed by her dense, foggy exhale.

Growing more tense by the second, Yume was already backing up to take whatever came her way; a separated whip and Fang in hand.

"Shinigami no Numa-Hoseki (Swamp Jewel of the Death God)!"

Hurtling from the slow, dense fog came a glossy object slightly larger than Reina's previous jutsu with flat, angular sides. Having put some distance between the two, Yume, despite the wicked speed of the technique, was able to prepare her defense in time.

"Katon: Hosenka no jutsu (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower jutsu!)" Quickly summoning chakra, Yume shot a volley of condensed fireballs at the large, impending projectile.

Just before the flames decimated Reina's attack, the grey-brown jewel split into three even pieces. Approaching in a curve that came down on Yume in three directions, the deathly crystals burst loudly a meter before impact; spewing a blanket of hot, poisonous acid. Hidden within the liquid death were dozens of chakra enhanced senbon.

Even with the strained use of her sharingan, Yume could only dodge so much of the spray, blocking all the senbon she could before many of the sharp objects stabbed themselves into the burned Konoha jonin.

l l l

Kiken was shocked.

She wasn't disappointed, as she took no pleasure in ending a life. But nonetheless, she couldn't help but stare blankly at the body lying a ways from her.

Kosai had survived.

She watched him do it. His attempt to deflect it was swift. Although the collision was inevitable given the range and shear power of her bow. However, as the barbed arrow impaled Kosai he managed to land a grip on the projectile; piercing his chest just below the collar bone as he took hold. His miniscule but quick change of course altered the weapon's deadly route. Impaling the tough Uchiha, the arrow spun him in the air as its momentum carried him meters from the fanged woman.

She missed his heart by a couple centimeters. Luckily, Kiken noticed that she might have severed an artery from the look of bloat and swelling surrounding the wound.

'Well, here's one.' she thought idly to herself as she approached the man who was dying from internal bleeding. 'Guess I'll patch him up and we'll all go home!'

Gently and with calculated poise did she attend to her enemy's otherwise fatal wound. With her limited knowledge of medical ninjutsu, the green haired girl removed her arrow, closed the artery and stopped the bleeding before sealing the skin. The severe bone and muscle damage would have to wait.

The Ryu kunoichi had undergone courses meant to increase the number of medical ninja per squad in an effort to diminish casualties. In a turn of events that greatly amused the short ninja, Tsunade heard that Minato had enacted these classes and, with a feeling of responsibility to the village ("…if they're gonna to do it, they should at least do it right…" – Tsunade), took it upon her jealous self to return to Konoha. 'For the time being'.

Taking up the role as lead medical advisory, the sannin enhanced shinobi survival rates by 38% and mission success by 14% within two years of her instructions.

As the girl with pointed ears worked medical wrap around the limp body of her enemy she had a strange feeling about her. Looking up, the wind carried fresh snow from the heavy clouds above as it picked up speed.

A disturbance in the wind was all the indication she was awarded before she gasped softly, the white hot sensation of a foreign object cutting into her left torso. She looked hard into the eyes of the aggressor she was crouching above.

The twisted Uchiha stared back in composed victory, sharingan spinning in activation while he twisted the kunai. Although she had continued to prove difficult to gauge since their first discussion it was then he noticed that her demeanor still didn't meet his expectations. Her normally kind expression gave way to vertically slit pupils that enhanced her increasingly menacing and deadly aura.

"I was going to take you back to Konoha," she spoke slowly, predatory eyes boring into his sharingan as he quickly grew uneasy. Her voice was sickening. The words dripped with cruelty while her voice sifted through the air like a nighttime melody, "but I believe it'd be best to kill you."

"You can try." he coughed out, deceitfully calm with the kunoichi's bone-crushing grip on his windpipe. He did well to hide the fear entering his system as he noticed the harsh reality of his opponent. After several attempts to disorient her mind, Kosai discovered that she was thoroughly immune to his genjutsu.

The two were at a trifling stalemate, with Kiken's powerful right hand bearing down on Kosai, who lay on his back underneath her deceptively heavy knee. They struggled as each opponent kept the other at bay with their left hands.

In a move infinitely smooth and unpredictable, Kosai produced a muffled half-gasp as the vicious kunoichi atop him embraced his lips with hers.

Her kiss melted away his worries while effectively paralyzing him. The Uchiha's mind was unable to process what had conspired before he regained the ability to breathe freely in a daze. Only when he noticed that he was wet did he feel the hot liquid flowing from his neck.

Focusing his vision, Kosai was horrified to see his pretty opponent wiping blood from her mouth.

She had bitten him.

"Please don't fight it." she murmured above him, smoothly removing the offending weapon from her body; tossing it out of range along with his equipment. "You can rest now."

The dying man could not move as he shuddered softly, watching the girl turn and depart, leaving a barefoot trail of red steps in the gusting snow as he bled out.

l l l

The sun peeked bashfully through breaks in the clouds as the microscopic, crystalline ornaments swirled hastily through the air. These warm, bright rays did little to forebode the coming of a small snow storm.

Walking leisurely with a smug grin on her face was a lovely golden eyed woman with short, neck-length silver hair. She wore small white shorts with a white tank top tucked in, separated by a dark belt with several compartments. Beneath her close-toed sandals were black wraps that rose into her middle thigh that also covered the tips of her fingers down most of her forearm. Her elbows were hidden from sight by a long, loose open cloak of a near-black red.

Sauntering with faint, coordinated footsteps, the medium-height woman advanced on an unconscious girl a decade younger than she.

"I hope you didn't think I'd forget," Iwate Reina hushed spitefully, conducting several quick signs before coughing a thick liquid into her glowing blue hands. She molded her chakra into an object, working and pinching it in her palms before it solidified into a jagged, razor-sharp dagger, "what I said about your eyes."

"…Uchiha Yume." she whispered, reaching the girl and squatting in a low crouch above her slender frame. Grabbing a handful of the braided hair close to the scalp, Reina jerked her limp head up to eye level. "Capturing you would ensure that I earn my place by their side, but…"

She pressed the tip of her organic weapon into the kunoichi's throat, piercing the skin. Turning her head in several angles, Reina burned the girl's features into her mind as blood dripped to her dark, wrapped fingers.

"If I take your eyes I will be one step closer to my masters. As if…" she stopped in thought, suppressing the pressure of her blade in favor of preserving her specimen. "As if I were one of them. Oh, the power I'll have..."

Forcefully throwing the Uchiha's head into the snowy dirt, Reina, at Yume's right side, opened the respective eye with her thumb and index finger. She stared into the onyx orb for several moments, savoring her success as her grip tightened around her freshly bloodied weapon. Enamored by the fantasies that would bloom in light of her victory, she wasn't alert to the shift in light, white noise and air pressure beside her.

One violent moment later Reina found herself staring toward a horizon vertically divided by the snow covered earth as she lay against the dirt in a small crater.

'What is this?' she thought to herself, disoriented from the bone breaking punch a flash of purple and yellow had delivered. 'I have her, I- the sharingan is mine! I'm gonna be like them…'

She felt it again, the slight shift of air and ambient sound. The telltale signs of an object rushing slickly through the air. She sensed every single snowflake that the hastening item collided with as it neared, listening as noise behind it was dampened by its existence. Her ingrained reflexes caused her limbs to move of their own accord.

Her aching body protested, but in the blink of an eye she catapulted from the scene of her impact. Looking down from the arc of her leap, she witnessed how narrow her escape had been.

Only when she looked from the indentation and the blonde haired woman in it did she notice a Hyuga who carried two bodies take a place beside her prize.

"NOO!" she uttered in an almost feral scream. With an unexpected burst of speed, Reina touched ground and stormed for her defeated prey, leaving her blonde foe in the snow. "I'll fucking _**kill you**_ _!_ "

"Seishin Yokusei no jutsu (Mental Suppression jutsu)!" the platinum blonde Yamanaka shouted, forming the altered tori hand sign she had used on the Samurai of Iron.

Reina stumbled to a stop, collapsing to her knees. It appeared she had given up as she lowered her head and stared into her lap with watery eyes of gold. Exhausted from her grand uses of chakra and the wicked whiplash of her mental state, the enemy ninja felt enhanced fatigue and depression. Ino's jutsu flooded her tired mind with subtle chakra notes, invading with whispers and suggestions of whatever the Yamanaka chose.

Even in her hasty anger the Leaf kunoichi tactically decided to take advantage of Reina's feelings, manipulating her influence to crush the woman's resolve and annihilate her purpose; making full use of her lowered guard.

"Is she okay?!" Ino shouted to Neji over the decent gust, landing next to the ninja she sucker punched in a blurred pounce. Throwing Reina to the ground, she began tying the woman up. "Is Yume alright?" she finished desperately.

"No…" the Hyuga mumbled, analyzing his dark haired subordinate. "No, she needs medical attention right now." he finalized, searching the rest of the battlefield for his team mates. "Kiken seems to have defeated her opponent but Naruto is still fighting their captain."

"Damn it…" Ino cursed, approaching him with an unconscious Reina draped across her shoulders. She had crippled the kunoichi's spirit and made a strike at the base of her neck to knock her out. "Okay. Okay keep guard, I'll take care of her. She'll be fine."

Tossing the woman's binded body aside, the Yamanaka shinobi began removing many toxic needles from her dying friend.

l l l

He had a grip like iron with reflexes akin to slamming thunder. Similar to the sound Naruto's body made as it brutally smashed into the earth, cracking several ribs and a vertebrae with the strong possibility of a concussion.

Thrusting a killing blow that struck the ground, Yushin turned his head to the figure who had previously been at his mercy.

"Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash of Konoha…" Yushin announced with intrigue on his tone. "…raised a very strong son."

"Eheh, I'm still trying to catch up." Naruto admitted blandly, wiping blood from his mouth with his eyes focused on his challenger's body language. "Come home Yushin." he proposed tranquilly, catching the Uchiha off guard. Interrupting before he could utter his response. "Yeah, yeah you're not gonna do it, you don't have a place there blah, blah. What I'm having trouble understanding is your motivation. What drives you to betray your friends? Your brothers and sisters in arms- your _family?_ "

"This isn't the part where I spill my soul out to you, boy." he stated, cracking his knuckles after dusting his body off. "Konoha had its time. Now it's up to the Uchiha to take their place in the world as their own power. Why stay shackled by the chains of the Leaf under the false shadow of the Hyuga?"

"Your ancestors _founded_ Konoha, how could you disrespect them with blatant, pointless disloyalty?" he countered, waiting for the moment where they began to speak with kicks, tools and jutsu. "The Hyuga have nothing to do with your clan; you're separate! You stand on your own, outside of them-"

"Fool!" he shouted angrily as he unwrapped the white bandages that covered his knuckles and wrists. Yushin could feel his mental clock ticking down. "Yes my clan helped found the Village Hidden by Leaves. So tell me, why was Uchiha Madara the one to name the village but not the one to rule it?"

" _Rule_ it? The Hokage is meant to **lead**!" Naruto growled with a thrust of his arm. "Senju Hashirama was chosen as leader because he was voted into the position. Votes taken by both sides!"

"Hashirama's views were weak." the man's voice boomed as he took his first step in a slow walk to his young enemy. "They should have elected the stronger of the two!"

"They did!" Naruto bellowed, anger building in his chest at the near blasphemy his foe was slewing. "Hashirama killed Madara when he was attacked!"

Yushin's next step landed hard and he cast his gaze away from the Uzumaki northward, in the direction of his team. Naruto remarked the fatigue he was hiding in his brief moment of distraction and took note of his expressions.

Even in his preoccupied state the well-seasoned Uchiha wouldn't be caught off guard standing before an enemy. He proved this when he sensed Naruto's flash-less teleport and caught him in a blinding spin. Holding him by the throat, he squeezed hard as his eyes swirled into the mangekyou sharingan. To his humbling surprise the blonde jonin in his grasp 'died' in a burst of white smoke.

Naruto himself wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He proved this when he wrenched a swirling torrent of chakra into the man's back, grinding into the muscles below his left shoulder blade. He had executed a maneuver where the user teleports from view (usually suspending themselves in limbo, or simply reappearing out of sight), creates a clone while hidden before sending the clone after its opponent. This creates an opening for the user to strike with Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God).

Emerging from the crater, Naruto jumped back and prepared to initiate his end-game move before he was thrust back by a great force emitted from Yushin's body.

A pit formed in the Leaf shinobi's belly as he recognized the intense chakra from before. Yushin's Susano'o.

Rising immediately, Naruto saw he was alone before he raced after the powerful traitor. Yushin was headed for his companions, as well as Naruto's unaware allies.

l l l

Removing needle after needle from Yume's body, Ino healed the poor girl's wounds as best she could. The heiress was no longer bleeding. However, her critical wounds were now on a microscopic scale as the poison burned within her veins and organs.

"Neji…" Ino muttered with a shaky voice, shuddering in exhaustion as she continued working with her gored, fluorescent hands over the young woman's torso. "Neji I don't know if she'll make it."

"Shit…" the white eyed captain sighed, watching Naruto in heavy anticipation as the blonde spoke with Yushin. Noting swift movement, he cast his gaze to the west and had a beat of hope for the young Uchiha. "Hoh, Kiken!"

The elegant young kunoichi had a melancholy appearance about her as she approached, looking over the lot of them in a sweep before kneeling beside Yume.

"She's badly poisoned." Kiken surmised after inhaling the air near her team mate's body, removing a second scroll from the small of her back. Unfurling the paper, she produced a medical supply kit. "Take a break Ino, she'll be alright. I've got her."

"Yes…" Ino submitted as she breathed deep, quiet breaths. Watching their anxious comrade work to save her close friend, she didn't miss the worry in her ice blue eyes and trembling conciousness.

Kiken's love for Yume was evident in her precision, speed and focus as she took blood in a vial before loading it in a small off-white box. Wiping snow from the device as the wind continued to grow into a storm, she took its printed reading before procuring and administering a stabilizing antitoxin.

Flying through the air, the Konoha shinobi let out involuntary gasps as they were viciously blown away by an enormous shockwave.

First on her feet, Kiken did not hesitate to make sure her comrades survived the blast. Once she was certain they were relatively safe, Yume especially, she summoned the twisted black bow with purple etchings known as Kagaikogo.

Only when she acquired her target did she understand what had launched them. It was the sheer force of Yushin arriving in his skeletal, orange-yellow Susano'o.

Enveloped within his protective grasp was his only male subordinate; pale as the melting snow around them. Realizing he had a broad opening, the sinister captain rushed to capture the closest ninja; retrieving Reina before moving onto a crumpled Hinata.

Quickly catching up was an enraged Naruto who appeared before his enemy in a blink. Darting in a blurry charge, the Uzumaki delivered a deafening blow to the chakra manifestation, sending Yushin skidding back several meters.

Naruto's chest heaved as he took ragged breaths. Panting out of anger rather than fatigue he noticed a very unconscious Yume in addition to his Hinata. The gut wrenching view of his fallen comrades threw him off balance; wrath stirring thick and hot in his core.

'… **Do it.** ' a deep, fierce voice demanded slowly within the jinchuuriki's inner self. ' **Use my power. Rid the planet of these pathetic traitors!** '

Biting back temptation, Naruto did not bother replying to the demon that took residence within. Instead, he let out a sudden and ferocious bark-like roar, much to the shock of his comrades.

"I'm going to kill you…" Yushin whispered, seemingly entranced as he stood clutching Kosai close to him within his powerful defense. "…every _last_ one of you."

"It's over Yushin." Naruto concluded tediously, recovering some of his composure. "You have lost."

A younger Yushin would have laughed at him. A younger man might have kept fighting until the gruesome, dreadful end. But seeing and doing the things he has done in the past years have made him wiser and less brash.

With a hardening of his expression he merely took into account a very healthy Naruto who was backed by an unscathed Neji, a half-spent Ino and the fierce kunoichi who had slain the young man within his arms.

He also noticed three giant furred creatures approaching with wicked velocity, much to his dejection. As they entered the area, Yushin recognized the beings as foxes and would have been dryly amused if not for his poor circumstances.

In the wake of Yushin's arrival he scattered the bodies of all seven ninja, both conscious and otherwise, whom the foxes collected with delicate grace save for Reina.

'I can't keep this up.' Yushin thought as he studied his adversaries, putting up a front of confidence for protection. His advanced technique of the Mangekyou was ravaging his body. 'I'm going to pass out under the strain if this isn't finished soon...'

"…I concede." Yushin stated over the wind, hefting Reina under his own arm with Kosai on his right shoulder. Naruto understood. This was the end of the battle. "You may have the girl, but you will not win. We cannot be defeated."

"Don't think we'll let you get away." Naruto warned, a treacherous fury lacing his words.

"You seem to have a more pressing dilemma to focus on." he stated, gesturing subtly toward the two heavily injured Leaf shinobi.

Before Naruto could announce a counter retort, Uchiha Yushin vanished; a brief afterimage paying homage to his hard-earned speed.

Naruto stared hard at the place the imposing man had been for several long moments. After some time, a warm hand placed itself upon the Uzumaki's shoulder. Turning, Naruto was met with Ino's soft gaze. Walking with her, they gathered Kiken and Neji. Together, the worn shinobi followed Naruto's instructions and retrieved the unconscious ninja from the foxes.

After thanking Suifuto, Eiji and Nozomi for their assistance, Naruto had them stand guard while he prepared his transport sequence.

"Listen up. I'm going to deliver the injured and the hostages back to Konoha." Naruto started, looking over his team as he noted every nick and bruise his friends managed to accrue. "It's a difficult technique to set up, so it'll take me a minute. But three of us are staying behind."

This piqued Ino and Kiken's interest, but Neji seemed to understand. There was more to be done; Naruto wasn't fully satisfied with his ultimately successful mission.

"My assignment was to capture a member of the enemy and it would have been a failure if we didn't team up." he continued, settling his blue eyes on the attentive Hyuga and solemn Ryu. "Neji, Kiken, you two will accompany me into the Land of Iron to assist Kakashi and Rin in their endeavor before we return to Konoha."

"Understood." Neji affirmed with a stoic nod of his head.

"Yes sir." Kiken accepted calmly with her full attention on their blonde jinchuuriki.

"Naruto, I can still fight." Ino declared, her stance and hard expression fully backing her claim.

"I agree, and I'd have no problem with you joining if you didn't spend so much chakra already." Naruto explained, watching as her expression dampened. "It's only because we need to be there as soon as possible. That means we don't get to rest; and _you_ need rest."

"Fine…" Ino breathed lamely, yielding to her captain's advice. She had, after all, healed Shiori's disrupted organs (to a point), Hinata's deep gash and Yume's many puncture wounds.

"Help me get them into position." Naruto directed after a satisfied nod and circumstantially pleasant grin.

Aligning Ino and the unconscious Hinata, Yume and Shiori around an opened scroll, Naruto activated the sequence for his Boshiraishin (Dancing Thunder God) procedure. Crawling from the paper came the tangled language of fuinjutsu dividing the ninja into four sections while encircling them in rings; a single line of glyphs branching to climb up their figures. A circular sealing stamp appeared on the end of the branching lines at the base of each individual's neck.

Bounding to the center, Naruto kneeled lightly atop the opened scroll in the angular formation; eyes closed in concentration. Lifting a sign into the air with a matching one over his chest, Naruto, with the rest of the four ninja, vanished from sight in a translucent warp of time-space.

 **6:08PM; Konoha; Naruto**

A curious sound echoed in a specially closed off space of Konoha's Intelligence Division. Attracting suspecting ninja in grey trench coats, the noise was evocative of air being jolted from a vacuum. This sound pinged out once more before the air expanded in a warped orb and a series of silent blinks of lusterless light produced five Leaf shinobi.

"You!" Naruto commanded, startling two young ninja before they quickly recognized him as the Hokage's son which granted him question-less attentiveness in most cases. "Help me get these two to the Emergency Medical Bay. And you, this one's a traitor, take her to the Interrogation Department."

"Y-yes Naruto-sama!" the two chunin answered loyally as the young men followed their directions.

"Ino." the whiskered man requested equably, resting a hand on her arm as he looked into her eyes. "Get to the infirmary. I want you to undergo a medical examination."

"All I have is a little fatigue, I…" Ino stopped, shrinking as Naruto turned back at her with an 'Ino…' look on his face. "*sigh* Alright."

"Thank you. Excuse me?" the blonde man called, stopping a female jonin in another grey coat. "Please inform Hokage-sama that I completed my main assignment and that I'll be going back to assist another team. If he asks, tell him I'll be sending him a report summery with the fuinscroll."

"Yes sir!" the woman answered, standing awkwardly before she blushed and left in a mildly impressive display of agility.

Naruto turned and approached the odd, fist sized object that hung in the air from where he appeared. It was a sphere of emptiness; there was no matter in the orb. If it were illuminated one would see the series of formula that encased the intangible space-time anchor.

"Naruto." Ino inquired, running up to him before he could depart.

"Oh- yes?" Naruto replied as she reached him, looking down into her oceanic eyes.

Glancing down then back up into his blues, Ino set her hands on his chest; gripping his signature black cloak tightly. She couldn't help it as her eyes stole downward glances. After she noticed they were both holding their breath, the purple clad kunoichi finally pulled him in as she laid her silky lips upon his.

It was a brief embrace, as the emotional Yamanaka wanted to bid him farewell, but it was a universe of a difference for the two shinobi.

Breaking the hot encounter, Ino sat back down on her heals as she opened her hazy eyes again, eventually locking Naruto's gaze as she took a nimble step back.

"Be safe." she whispered gently.

"Always." Naruto whispered back, more due to his shock and bafflement than anything.

Ino took another step back, soaking in the rare image of a fully flushed Naruto. Granting him a sweet, hopeful smile the platinum blonde woman took her leave.

Looking down before his eyes rose to the wormhole, Naruto aimed his left palm at the emptiness. Raising a sign with his right hand, the perplexed Uzumaki transcended dimensions once more to arrive back in the Land of Tundra.

 **End**

* * *

 **I have a cool little sister fanfic running. It's cannon with this story too. It's called _Undercurrent_. Anything new on your end?**

 **Seriously, how** _ **great**_ **was Episode VII?**

 **I hope your New Year celebration was safe and prosperous!**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	16. Marble Descent

**14**

 **-Marble Descent-**

* * *

 **7:23PM; Konoha Infirmary**

"Sure, go right ahead. She may be asleep though, she was severely exhausted." a woman informed politely.

"Alright, thanks." a young man's voice replied, opening the door to one of the many small rooms containing patients on the shinobi level of the infirmary. After stepping in, the large jonin closed the door behind him quietly.

The room was dimly illuminated by medical equipment with the assistance of a small candle by the window.

Laying placidly on her back was a young woman in white clothing with lengthy, platinum blonde hair. She slept softly under the covers within the dark room.

Gazing down at the girl, the visitor's mind wondered about her comrades. He wondered how they fared and when he'd see them again. He didn't mean to worry, it just accompanied comradery he supposed.

When ninja arrive in the village injured or worse, word is sent to those who are close. This is especially true for jonin. It is a system that keeps the village communicating, and greatly assists the restoration of moral among wounded shinobi.

This was the infirmary, which meant that the patient's injuries were not nearly fatal, and it was purely rehabilitation. It was natural that Shikamaru and Choji, long-time team mates of the snoozing Yamanaka Ino did not show up. They had all been through fiery trials of combat, and have passed the point of worrying about each other's shallow injuries. Frankly, if their life wasn't on the line, it wasn't something to bother with.

This was not the case with the visitor, whom simply arrived to show that he cared and to ask about his two team mates.

The young bare chested jonin eventually took a seat beside the Yamanaka and folded his arms.

"Hey Ino." he almost whispered, addressing her casually as he expected no response. "I just came to check up on you. Heard your mission was high-class, and that you were here. Also wanted to see how the rest of them are doing since they're not back yet."

The calm guest regarded Ino in silence before running a hand through his short, stiff, snow colored hair. Leaning forward in his seat with his fist in his palm, Unzari watched over the kunoichi quietly.

"I hope they're alright." he muttered thoughtfully; hushed breathing his only reply.

 **Seventy Two Minutes Prior; Land of Tundra**

The seconds dragged by as Hyuga Neji and Ryu Kiken awaited the return of their whiskered captain in the deep snow. Neji's heavy white cloak and Kiken's leafy green dress fluttered wildly in the shoving winds that continued to harshen as the minutes passed.

After several long moments a bolt of quiet, dull light flashed from the anomalous space-time anchor that hung above the earth mysteriously. The stream of white-blue light erupted once again before delivering a crouching Konoha jonin.

"They'll be okay." Uzumaki Naruto assured shortly after appearing, immediately attempting to shut down the obvious worry written upon his companion's complexions. "I had the girls brought to the EMB and our capture is going to be interrogated. Mission successful."

"Understood." Neji replied, moderately relieved at the blonde's confidence; nodding his head slowly before leveling an attentive gaze at Naruto. "There's still work to be done."

"Let's get 'em." Kiken insisted, anxious on distracting herself from her deep concern of Hinata and Yume's condition.

"Neji, can you see any sign of them?" the jinchuuriki asked, folding his arms across his chest as his trio of foxes closed in and sat/lay by them; continuing to stand guard.

"Hm…" the Hyuga activated his dojutsu, thoroughly scanning the surrounding area. It appeared that the growing snow gales had completely covered all traces of movement, almost totally covering the scorched areas and expansive mini-caverns and craters developed from the battle and wreckage of the underground base. "There's no sign of them… I have no way of knowing where they went."

"Shit, I was hoping… agh, it doesn't matter." Naruto cursed, waving his thought off before running a hand through his spikey hair. "Okay, next course of action. We're going to the Land of Iron to support Team Kakashi. I know it'll be taxing on you Neji, but we'll need you to keep those eyes open so we don't get ambushed in this blizzard."

"Do you underestimate us, Naruto-sama?" the deep, handsome voice of Eiji asked with a tilt of his obsidian, snow-tussled head.

"Rest your vision, Neji-kun." Nozomi asserted courteously, blinking her piercing silver-white eyes at the Hyuga. "We're listening for trouble. Nothing will get near."

"We will protect you no matter what. I have the traitor's scent." Suifuto informed pleasantly, blending in with the snow aside from her crimson eyes. "They have no element of surprise."

"You're the best." Kiken praised, hugging Nozomi's furry chest as she was closest.

"Ah, thank you." the pale-eyed ninja replied gratefully, bowing serenely to the summon trio.

"Let's get going." Naruto directed, approaching his male subordinate in three strides. "May I have the fuinscroll?"

"Of course." Neji answered, producing the object from his pack when the jinchuuriki reached him. "They found a base and Kakashi left Rin outside while he investigated."

"I see." the Uzumaki replied in thought, looking over the responses before summoning ink and pen from his fuinbelt. He dutifully wrote out a summery for his father before addressing Rin with details of their approach. "…Alright, Rin will be ready for us. I alerted Hokage-sama to the situation. Is everyone ready?"

"Absolutely." the green haired kunoichi answered, mustering a small smile. Her scarlet-furred Nozomi moderately elevated her mood.

"Yes sir." Neji responded coolly before Suifuto approached him, administering a tender nudge to his shoulder with her nose. The Hyuga cracked a small grin and mounted the beautiful, stealthy beast.

"Yosh." their captain announced, hopping up on Eiji while Kiken straddled Nozomi. "Secondary mission; go!" he exclaimed, renewed moral spreading through the downsized team as they traced through the tumbling crystals across the foreign landscape.

 **6:13PM; Land of Iron; Nohara Rin**

Sunk deep in the snow crouched a nigh invisible woman draped in an insulating cloak of stark white. The brunette didn't move an atom as her fully invested senses were alerted to the sensation brought upon by one of the fuinscrolls companion versions being altered. The mental pressure was quiet, but she felt it nonetheless.

Silently removing the object from her waist, Rin barely existed as she began to read the input from the Hokage's son.

'Haah, reinforcements sound nice.' she thought to herself in relief. 'I know these infiltration jobs take time, but he's beginning to worry me. At least we'll be ready for whatever he uncovers.'

Writing an affirmation reply, the elite medic fastened the scroll to her waist again. Dampening her chakra signature even more, Rin nestled into the dirt to further hide herself; providing a greater ability to sense movement as she awaited support.

 **6:10PM; Konoha Medical Center; Emergency Wing**

" _Help!_ " two shinobi screamed together, bursting quickly through double doors of the quiet hospital; the two young ninja collectively carried three unconscious patients. "Medic! Tsunade-sama!"

A woman with light sandy-blonde hair in loose dual ponytails, yellow-auburn eyes and a diamond on her forehead appeared quickly from her place in a patient's room a ways from the entrance.

"Follow me!" she demanded harshly, wasting no time as she vanished to a new healing chamber. The two men following quickly behind before entering a room with two medical beds suited near each other. The sannin was swiftly situating the room for optimal function in the time it took them to arrive and set the injured Hinata and Yume on the left and right beds respectively. A member of the shocked staff relieved the green eyed chunin of the traitorous Uchiha he carried. "Details. _Speak_!" the woman asserted.

The grey eyed ninja with buzzed hair and a short staff strapped to his back stuttered. "N-Naruto-sama just appeared and he- "

"We don't know Tsunade-sama!" the second chunin provided, he had a pinned ponytail and wrappings over his left leg. His flak jacket was equipped with metal padding and he had a large scroll hanging on his lower back. "He didn't say anything but that they were injured!"

"Bring me Haruno Sakura!" the tank of a woman shouted with her back to the ninja, a glowing hand over each kunoichi as she determined their physical state. "Now!"

"Yes ma'am!" the duo accepted as they departed in haste, splitting up to help find the pink haired woman as fast as possible.

'This isn't good.' the young looking woman thought seriously. 'Hinata is manageable but Yume is afflicted with a strange poison. It's not a metal base. So what is this…'

"I'm here!" announced a young kunoichi after some time; time enough for Tsunade to diagnose the young women efficiently. "Yume- Hinata!?" Sakura gasped in shock.

"I need you to focus." Tsunade commanded as she turned around. "Heal Hinata, she was cut deep diagonally down the abdomen with something that burned her. Someone patched her up, but- "

"I have to remove the dead tissue, heal and replace the lost flesh then begin the solidifying healing process to secure her abdominal muscles and any damaged organs; the latter first." Sakura finished thoughtfully with scanning eyes, moving quickly just as her teacher began instructing her. "Got it."

"Yosh! I'm counting on you." the prodigious medic esteemed, both hands now pulsated with healing energy over the Uchiha's single body as she worked on pinpointing the contaminant in the jonin's blood. "Yume was chemically burned and poisoned badly. But I haven't seen a toxin like this until now."

"Help will be on the way shortly, I ss-" Sakura started assuredly.

"Tsunade-sama! I'm here," a woman with short black hair and dark eyes announced as she entered, "what do you need me to do?"

"Take her blood and run an advanced biochemical diagnostic at once!" the Slug Sage ordered, her subordinate immediately moving with speed to fulfill her request under the fluorescent hospital lights.

The woman quickly took a vial of blood from the girl's aggrieved body; stiff from the strain of her chakra being sifted through by the sannin. The assistant immediately deposited the phial into a great machine in a room down the hall. A short moment later the loyal help rushed in with the readings.

"What in the-" Tsunade mumbled, looking at the list detailing the components and information of the black haired kunoichi's blood composition. "It's not metal, it's not medicinal or derived from herbs. Shizune, what do you think?"

"Hm…" the attendant sighed, studying the sheet intently. "It appears someone administered an antitoxin, so that's one of the extra variables."

"Huh, keep going." she insisted, mulling over the possibilities with her mind racing. "I need more."

Shizune nodded before extracting two more samples of Yume's blood and departing. Upon her arrival she had another, smaller sheet of details.

"I set the parameters to only include the fluctuating variants that are disrupting the blood since I separated it from the excess antitoxin and foreign chemicals." the humble young woman informed diligently. "The readings are peculiar, especially when narrowed down like this."

"…It's…blooming?" the busty woman asked herself, thoroughly perplexed as she delicately investigated Yume's chakra and chemical make-up with her own chakra. "It's like a hyper-virus. Like it's alive. It's…a jutsu?!" Tsunade exclaimed as she noticed a foreign energy within Yume's bloodstream and musculature. "There's another chakra signature in her- The toxin is someone's fucking chakra!"

Shizune's eyes widened at her elder, noticing Sakura tilt her head in curiosity but otherwise remained too focused on mending her Hyuga comrade.

"How can I help?" the pleasant assistant asked anxiously, fiddling about the sleeves of her black kimono with wide, white edging.

"Come here." the blonde kunoichi demanded, using her green ninjutsu to make an incision low on the Uchiha's naval. "We're going to channel our chakra through her and flush out the foreign contaminant. Go!"

Shizune's hands erupted into a lively aura as she matched her master, flowing her healing energy into the Uchiha heiress. From the incision made by Tsunade came thick, near-black blood. Slowly the potent, viscous liquid was pulled from the intentional wound in droplets as the heavy, foreign chakra-laced blood was removed from Yume's body.

After nearly an hour of meticulous chakra control to expel every last morsel of the malicious toxin, Tsunade flushed, cleared and sealed the cut she made.

"We're not done yet." the ponytailed princess informed, replacing her medical chakra over her patient. "Now we need to repair the damage that was done."

"Agreed." Shizune complied, quickly assisting her best friend. "Whoever gave her the battlefield treatment absolutely saved her life."

Shizune's last comment stuck with Sakura as she hadn't been able to eavesdrop since she was absolutely fixated on healing Hinata's burnt flesh and organs.

'Who's on that team…' she wondered passively, her hands working potent energy underneath the Hyuga's skin as her small ribs, stomach, small and large intestines were slowly woven and healed. 'Naruto, Ino…Neji, Kiken…'

'I hope they're okay…' she pondered, sweat shining on her brow as she rehabilitated her white-eyed patient.

 **8:02PM; Land of Iron; Team Naruto**

The sky was black as pitch clouds rolled over one another, pouring infinite sprinkles of frozen powder upon the earth. Three furred creatures, each baring a rider skulked slowly through the growing whiteout. The byakugan wielder located their elder companion a significant distance away as they gained in on her.

* _~350m SE_ * Naruto wrote, alerting his sensei's companion to their ascent.

'Hm.' Neji thought idly as they hugged the ground in a crawl. 'If not for the existence of my byakugan we never would have found her.' the calm shinobi esteemed to himself in respect for the seasoned kunoichi.

After closing most of the distance in over forty minutes, Team Naruto encountered Rin as she came upon them. All ninja were highly on edge as their pulses raced; open-field rendezvous in enemy-soaked territory did that to shinobi.

"Feel free to relax and speak aloud." Eiji suggested to the group, tilting a glance back to the blonde on his back. "There is nothing in the vicinity, and the blizzard obscures us further."

"Rin-sensei!" Kiken exclaimed in a hush over the wind, leaping from Nozomi to hug the instructor from her genin years. "Are you okay?"

"Heh, hi Kiken." the older kunoichi murmured, squeezing the pointy eared girl. "Forget me, how are you all? I got the news about your mission. I'm sure the others will be fine."

"I agree." Naruto replied heartily, relaxing on Eiji as he nuzzled into the soft snow. "What do you want to do about Kakashi-sensei?"

"I want to go in after him if he takes too long." the elite jonin answered, adjusting the sleeves of her pure white body suit. Around her neck was a thick matching cloth that, if brought over her head, would only leave her eyes exposed. "And it's almost too long. I give him one hundred minutes before we assist."

"I'm on board, Rin-senpai." Konoha's jinchuuriki replied, sitting up as he gestured to his team. "Let's get a move on. Rin, go ahead and sit with Kiken on Nozomi."

"Oh, nice to meet you Nozomi-chan." Rin greeted as she followed her old student.

"Likewise, Rin-chan." the sweet animal responded, crouching as she allowed the women to get on.

"Alright senpai, lead the way." Naruto insisted, looking toward the eldest shinobi among them.

"Yosh." she sighed, directing the group as they scaled the downward slope of a mountain.

Reaching a location near the massive cave entrance, the group waited patiently between petrified trees and small boulders that had fallen from the mountains in the past.

The team hid quietly, ready to tough the screaming winds and freezing temperatures. They didn't wait a single hour before the foxes lifted their heads in unison; this gesture created a chain reaction as Naruto got to his feet with his solid combat stance, in turn causing his allies to immediately react and ready themselves in kind.

Sauntering toward them with pocketed hands was the one and only Inventor Ninja; Hatake Kakashi.

"Yo." he greeted casually, lifting his right arm to wave with a hidden smile; he was also dressed in all white, including his signature mask.

Kiken, Neji, Naruto and especially Rin gawked stupidly at the legendary elite jonin from the Village Hidden in the Leaves as he neared casually.

"What the fuck do you mean ' _Yo._ '?!" Rin whispered incredulously, startling the younger shinobi with her use of foul language; a rarity in her case. "What did you find- or didn't you discover anything?"

"Actually, Naruto, I'm glad you're the one to show up." Kakashi addressed, bypassing Rin much to her irritation. "The structure is massive, and I couldn't possibly search the whole compound myself; but regardless, I _did_ manage to find something."

"Well what is it?" Naruto asked curiously, subtly noticing Rin's eyes burrowing into his skull.

"Well, I uh, ehh…" the white haired marvel chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I stumbled upon a small army and some fuinjutsu."

The seasoned soldier observed as all of his Leaf comrades displayed looks of shock, worry and confusion. He was secretly amused.

"Heh, yeah. Follow me." Kakashi requested, turning lazily as he walked with his hands in his pockets toward the gaping maw of the stony enclave. After a blurred motion the white haired man broke out into a sprint.

While the team followed one of Konoha's finest, they observed as rough stone morphed into fine, polished marble. Entering through the massive white doors, the shinobi entered a long hallway that was lined with congruent carved tablets every other meter. The stone pieces depicted Samurai in battle, as well as ceremonies and historical leaders.

After walking for a full thirty seconds, the ninja came upon a dead end.

"Wait, what?" Naruto questioned, utterly stumped.

"Huh?" Kiken mumbled as her eyes scanned the clean, dustless stone. "There aren't any seams?"

"Appearances are deceiving in this case." Neji commented as the team turned to notice his activated byakugan. "You should know, Kiken." he added lightly.

"Did you just make a joke?" Kiken giggled, causing the Hyuga to stifle a grin; although not entirely.

"Okay you two." Rin said in mild exasperation; she had been waiting in the cold, tense and worried for several hours. This was not playtime. "Answers."

"Well, each of the carvings is a doorway." Kakashi stated simply before pointing a thumb over his shoulder to the hemispherical 'room' that made up the dead end. "And that is the sneaky bit. No idea how to get passed it, and Minato's taught me much in the way of fuinjutsu."

"Where's the army?" the small girl asked as she twirled her dress left and right in a gentle rocking manner.

"Some of the carvings are easily accessible, and lead deeper underground." the black eyed man explained as he approached the second closest carving on his right. Kakashi lifted a hand and produced chakra, but altered the frequency before tracing small indentations on the katana of the samurai commander depicted. "This is one of two that lead to a sort of holding cell. There, well… you'll see."

A line of chakra sank vertically from the tablet, striking the ground before the outline of a doorway was created from the section of wall pulling back and sinking into the floor.

Kakashi ushered his friends through, following after them before the wall sealed itself.

"I'm guessing we get out the same way?" Naruto surmised, thinking about what the dead end could possibly be.

"No." Kakashi answered as they walked down the cramped spiral-stairwell. "All you do is push it; much easier to get out."

"What a relief." Rin murmured sarcastically.

After a short period of descent the group reached a wide hallway constructed from coarse cobblestone. Several meters down the hall, the tunnel lead to a much larger room which was sunk further into the ground. The new room was a sort of rectangular arena, and was capped by guarded walkways which surrounded its top perimeter.

Pocketing every wall of the upper level in short increments were cells containing what looked to be ragged prisoners of various origins. Many weren't visible from the team's position in the doorway.

"What in the…" Kiken whispered to herself, thoroughly concerned.

"I think the ring leaders left." Kakashi offered quietly, having yet to attract the attention of any sulking captive. "That, or they're hiding very well."

As if the white-clad jonin had given the command himself, every steel-doored cell opened simultaneously.

"Kakashi…" Rin tested warily; every fiber of her being screamed to leave.

"What in the- we got to go." Naruto asserted, turning around to face a new, blank stone wall. Growling in anger, the jinchuuriki formed a tightly condensed rasengan in his right palm. Before he could kill the entirety of his team however, he noticed a delicate and fine print of fuinjutsu formula tracing the corners of the new blockade. "We're trapped. The wall is flushed with chakra and will detonate if it's hit."

"Maybe they don't want to fight?" Kiken suggested dimly. There was no confidence layered in her tone.

"Naruto's not exaggerating." Neji commented, eyeing the dazed prisoners as they exited their holds and began to notice them. "This wall is radiating energy. We need to get away, so might as well face them. How strong can they be?"

"I guess we're about to find out." Kakashi summed up, sinking into a battle pose with his companions as their path was immediately blocked by a dozen ghostly figures.

 **End**

* * *

 **It's been insane on my end, how about you?**

 **I am not dead, but TR-8R is my spirit animal.**

 **Piss off, and fuck you for breathing.**

 **-Diddly Doddly-**


	17. Pain Abundant

**15**

 **-Pain Abundant-**

* * *

 **8:48PM; Cobblestone Dungeon; Team Kakashi**

"Well that's new." Kakashi commented idly as a group of twitching apparitions stood between them and the sunken arena.

Roughly twelve humanoid shadows approached them, jerking as their existence appeared torturous. The dark things moved rapidly, occasionally shuttering and advancing in single motions as if they were caught within a time lag. The ragged hostages behind them did not appear happy to be involved either.

"Don't trust anything here." Rin warned aloud, stepping instinctively between the enemy and the younger ninja. "We don't know what we're dealing with."

 **Interrogation Division; Torture Department**

"Here's the deal." a low, gruff voice asserted dominantly from the shadows of a small room. The obscured man spoke slowly and with an experienced clarity in his tone; foreboding the ability to break and mold a person's will. "I am the law. You will speak when spoken to, and _only_ when spoken to. When you speak, it will be nothing but the full truth. Anything else and, well, I will torture you. I'm good at it, so try not to lie. Am I understood, traitor?"

"Yes sir." a woman whispered from her place in the center of the room. She shook slightly as she sat naked on the metal chair her legs and arms were heavily chained to under a dim, pale light. A tightly wound circle of fuinjutsu symbols marked her forehead and stomach, suppressing the acceleration of chakra; glowing bright if she began to manipulate it, easily alerting her captor. This would in turn no doubt cause him to ignite the single explosive tag taped around her throat.

"Louder; dumb bitch." the hidden man spat in frustration.

"Y-yes sir." she spoke up, making certain that she offered the optimal volume as to not arise his ire. Her skin was clammy as his presence vented ice into her veins.

"Ugh." the interrogator groaned as the chair under him creaked in protest. "Do not waste my time, cunt. What is your full name?"

"Uchiha S-Shiori." the naked girl stammered, just a moment before the back of her head hit the cement floor. In the daze brought on by a wicked punch to the nose and collision with the ground, Shiori was able to view the man above jerk her back upright by the hair near her scalp. The man had three diagonal scars across his malicious face and wore a long black trench coat.

"You will refer to me properly." the interrogator commanded softly, his polite demeanor paralyzing the young medic. The feint of kindness was treacherous. "Morino Ibiki is my name. What is yours?"

"Uh…Uchiha Shiori, Morino-sama." she panted, tasting the blood gushing from her busted lip and nose. She imagined the trees, and then the snow.

"There you go dumbass." Ibiki affirmed in a heavy sigh, taking his place back on the cornered chair. "So bitch …Are you a deserter? Did you betray the Leaf?"

"Yes, Morino-sama." Shiori admitted loud enough to not be struck again as she shivered in her chair, terrified and exposed. Her head spun as she focused on staying conscious.

"Alright…" the fearsome man muttered, nodding his head slowly as he gazed downward. He pondered something for a few seconds. "Ever know a girl named Yume?"

"Wh- yes, Morin- n-no, plea-" the young prisoner was surprised by the question, and attempted to beg before Ibiki stood and hit her with a leftward swing of the hefty steel chair he had been resting on. Her head slammed joltingly into the dense floor once more.

"Don't fucking stutter in front of me." the interrogator warned, lifting her and her seat into the air by her throat; the dangerous note crinkling under his grip. Her restricting chains prevented her from putting up any sort of instinctual struggle. "You lost the right to fuck up when you chose to abandon Konoha. Now stop feeling sorry for the worthless corpse you're using and answer my questions so I can get back to fucking Noriko." he ordered hatefully, staring into her paling face.

He noticed the slightest tension take hold of her figure, and decided to elaborate for her after slamming her down upright. Blood leaked into her eyes as it streamed from gashes down her tender features.

"What, you didn't know? Huh, how could you, you marooned your friends and family." Ibiki explained placidly, turning his back to the panting young ninja. "Yeah, after your father killed himself your mother needed someone. Her only family was _'dead'_ , and I stumbled on her one evening. Then she took me to your house and I made you a brother. Congratulations, you're no longer the youngest child."

Shiori crumbled visibly under the weight of her guilt and the news her holder was filling her with. Tears swelled in her eyes, but after she caught her breath the distraught kunoichi dare not make a sound.

"You make this go any slower and I'm going to make your little brother an uncle." he added terrifyingly, sparing a malevolent glance over his shoulder. "Now that we understand each other: Do you know a girl named Yume?"

"Yes Morino-sama." Shiori provided as she stifled her coughs, dreading intense retaliation as she blinked through the warm liquid. She was right to fear.

"Now how in the _world_ do you know her?" Ibiki asked, in near sarcastic impatience. He still had his back to the prisoner.

"We are from the Uchiha clan." the scarlet-soaked woman admitted in anguish. She pictured a Hyuga.

"Not anymore, you betrayed them, remember?" the scarred man questioned hurtfully. "You're not worth anything and you're not an Uchiha. You're nothing."

Shiori didn't have the capacity to stop the tears from flooding her deep black eyes as her emotions twisted. The young kunoichi felt pain, fear, sadness, anger and self-loathing. Most of all, Shiori fell deeper in regret. She remembered her sword cutting into the white eyed girl.

"So, what are you?" he asked in slow staccato, enunciating as technically as he could. He didn't need to stare her down for her to flinch from him.

"Nothing, Morino-sama." she complied as she quickly understood, feeling lower than she ever had. She envisioned her parents. "I am nothing…"

"Good." Ibiki grunted, turning around and stepping into the grimy light with his object of torture. He stared down at her for a moment before he continued. "You're going to tell me everything I want to know, aren't you?"

Ibiki may be border-line sadistic, but he is not evil. He knows what is good and what is bad, and thoroughly chooses to do good. However, torture is an unwanted but required element of the world he lives in. Therefore he takes it upon himself to bare the terrible burden of extracting information from those who do wrong with tight lips. He's the one to pry the flesh open from any angle with any tactic to retrieve anything to save the lives of innocents.

Beating Shiori was a simple dose of revenge and conditioning for the Uchiha. The young kunoichi needed to know that little mistakes resulted in big pain so that outright refusal, denial and incompliance would be met with much worse. The top interrogator took note of her obedience.

"Yes, Morino-sama." the agonized girl replied, looking up into his eyes. It was not a challenge, but an admission. She cowered.

"Great." Ibiki responded blandly, eyes burrowing back into the girl as she looked down in haste. "All of it. From the beginning."

 **Cobblestone Dungeon; Team Kakashi**

The five ninja crouched in edgy anticipation as they were bottled in by the dark humanoids.

The shadows stopped advancing and stood before the group, jerking involuntarily every few seconds as if they would soon be torn and dissipate into nothingness.

"Hello." Kiken greeted calmly, surprising the group who shared no sign of approval in a last-ditch attempt to win this battle through linguistics. "We apologize for the intrusion, we-"

"Konoha…hhh." the things answered in wheezing unison, simultaneously tilting their heads in apparent curiosity. They spoke slowly, with voices of broken glass and heavy smoke. "Heh…heheheheheh, hahahuheheheheheh, Konoha-baka, hhh."

"We would take our leave, if that pleases you." Kiken offered delicately, showing prowess in artful negotiation. "We mean you no harm."

"Harm? Hhh, you are ninja- warriors of the darkness. Hhh harm is your way of life." the shadows replied with their creeping voices, shifting the tilt of their heads in unnerving synchronization. "Hhh, as is _mine_. Hhh, intruders and the Leaf alike are to be destroyed. Hhheheheheheh."

A ringing in the ears was all the group could hear as a torrent of gushing wind enveloped the group accompanied by a shocking explosion that decimated the immediate area.

Slowing down from his elegant but fierce spin, Neji brought to a halt from his impressive use of Hakkesho Kaiten that acted as a defensive attack; igniting the explosive wall while protecting them from the same blast.

Moving to take full advantage of the confusion, the jonin squad made for the exit.

"I thought you said it was easy to get out?!" Rin questioned, referring to Kakashi's instructions on entering and exiting the tunnels.

"I did, w-" the legend started.

"How are we going to keep them _in_?!" Rin barked again, bringing their rough predicament to light. "This needs to be contained!"

"Should we go back?" Naruto asked from the end of the group before launching one condensed wind blast far behind and down the tunnel; passing the settling smoke.

"Rin is right, we don't know what we're facing down there." Kakashi replied, pushing the marble wall which moved toward him before descending. "More to the point, I don't want to be stuck in an underground cave battle."

"So we lead to the entrance." Neji suggested as they left the keep while the rumbling of encroaching individuals lent deep reverberations into earth. "End it at the mouth."

"We need to finish this as quickly as possible." Rin commented as they vaulted for the marble doorway. "We _still_ don't know where or who the real enemies are. This has only created _more_ questions!"

"How do we know they weren't hiding with those- prisoners?" Naruto asked, stealing a glance toward the Hyuga who would've been the one to notice anything of the sort. "Or anywhere else in the hideout?"

"They all had abnormally high chakra signatures." Neji informed as they made their way through the dark cave; the rumbling footsteps growing stronger all the while. "And the shadows-"

The golden hairs on the back of Naruto's neck stood straight up, causing him to lean as quickly as possible to his right. Narrowly dodging a bolt of lightning that still managed to singe his skin, his deep blue eyes went wide.

Striking the right wall ahead of them, the jutsu challenged the integrity of the large jaw-like cave.

Immediately performing another Eight Trigrams: Palms Heavenly Rotation, Neji protected the tail of the group from a behemoth fireball that warped around the chakra sphere and dissipated.

Halting the technique, Neji moved into his gentle fist stance as Naruto joined him to summon chakra and create two rasenshuriken. Kakashi's right and left palms ignited into Jigoku-yashi and Chidori respectively while Kiken and Rin crouched in readiness; waiting to complement their team's first move.

Before them was the same spectral group dividing them once again from the ragged prisoners. It had appeared that they were the ones to cast the jutsu assault.

"Hhh, you should know that your village will be destroyed. Hhh, cut down to the very last child." the shadows threatened together with an unsettling, hateful flare. "Heheheheh-"

"No- Naruto!" Kakashi called as he watched the blonde move aggressively.

In a growl of strength, the jinchuuriki loosed his deadly rasenshuriken. Vanishing from sight, the two discs hit the earth a ways in front of the prisoners and erupted in devastating blasts of slicing wind chakra as they retreated for good.

"Run!" their white haired captain ordered as the cave ceiling began dropping heaves of dark stone and rock.

After they reached a safe distance, the team turned and waited just a moment before the ghostly group presented themselves again. The twelve twitching things chuckled simultaneously and cast simple but powerful ninjutsu. Seemingly divided into pairs based on elemental affinity, the six pairs using fire, water, lightning, earth and wind released their torrents while the last pair jumped forward to engage in taijutsu.

"Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Mud Wall)!" Kakashi shouted, slamming the earth just before a grand wall erected between the two groups; absorbing the brunt of the jutsus. With a heave of force the white haired ninja caused the wall to race forward in an attempt to squish the enemies.

From the dust flew the two sprinting shades who were quickly met by Neji and Kiken. Closing in, the curious existences twirled and slid out of every strike while attempting to land their own in a grand display of exemplary, contactless hand to hand combat.

Vanishing in great speed, Naruto closed in on the other enemies. Only finding four upon arriving, the blonde jinchuuriki growled as his lightning fast reflexes kept him from being crushed, scorched or electrocuted. Punching through a mass of earth, the Uzumaki simultaneously threw a fuinshuriken at the single earth style user.

The projectile proved too fast for his adversary as the wrapped projectile struck it in the head, imbedding it deep within before the creature collapsed and burst in a dark splash of twirling, jagged blackness.

"What the?" the whiskered shinobi thought, dodging a gust of flames before tossing several rasengan at his three remaining foes. "What _are_ these?"

The entirety of the group began to subconsciously relax the moment Kakashi made his mud wall. As it turned out, the shadow entities were highly experienced, but significantly weaker than previously predicted.

Jumping between the remaining phantoms and the taijutsu battle, Rin threw a series of kunai at the approaching foes, causing them to block.

"Suiton: Kaiyo Kyuryu (Water Release: Ocean Torrent)!" the elite kunoichi spat a thick gush of heavy water from her mouth, turning her head to make a wide spread of the liquid. She missed every enemy, who proceeded to chuckle and advance, casting ninjutsu. Forced to dodge, the ninja summoned chakra once more. "Raiton: Dengen Genzai (Lightning Release: Power Stream)!"

A large flow of electricity erupted from Rin's palms, striking the water. Standing in the trap were three of the ghostly constructs who were quickly electrocuted to 'death', seemingly to the irritation of the last remaining shadows.

Kiken and Neji were swiftly joined by Kakashi who, without a hint of effort, distracted the foes significantly enough for the two taijutsu shinobi to end their individual challengers. The team's Hyuga implanted a chakra edged hand into the ethereal skull of his enemy just before the horned jonin crushed her opponent's head between her steel thighs.

After a relaxed call from their captain to regroup, the team only had two specters left once Naruto killed his lingering enemies with ferocious speed and fuinjutsu.

The foreign jonin blocked the way out as they held their ground against the remaining phantasms. Kiken brandished Kagaikogo after brushing beside her blonde companion. Kakashi and Neji stood passively as their final combatants approached.

"You've lost. Tell us where your leaders are." Kakashi demanded languidly, playing with a standard kunai looped around his finger. "We'll find out either way, time is the only factor."

"Hhh, you think you've won? Hhh, this changes nothing for you." the ghostly duo rasped, jerking as they phased forward in their signature mirage-like movement. "Hhh, you will all die- and only then, hhh, will you be shown the truth."

"Yeah, yeah." the white haired elite drawled, waving his hand drearily. "Kiken?"

"You got it, taichou!" the fanged girl responded, letting her arrow loose as she smiled brightly. The wicked speed of the barbed projectile impressed the shadows. However, soaring in a trajectory that would pass between them, her aim did not.

Until a shinobi sliced them in half after appearing between them via the fuinshuriken that the Ryu kunoichi attached earlier.

"Hh-hh, well played…" the downed beings sighed in amusement, evaporating into the void as rapidly as they appeared.

"Why do I not feel as if this is a victory?" Neji asked rhetorically, shifting to face his comrades. Naruto reappeared in a shunshin to answer him, but the eldest kunoichi beat him to the punch.

"You are right to feel that way; nothing was truly accomplished." Rin chimed in, stretching her arms and neck. "But we're here, and we're alive and well. C'mon, those prisoners aren't gonna re-imprison themselves!"

 **10** **:12PM; Konoha Emergency Medical Bay; Uchiha Yume**

"I don't know. What would _you_ do?" a distressed woman's voice inquired broadly. Her tone was anxious and soft; flooded with worry as she gripped the taller man beside her. She was adorned in casual Uchiha oriented garb with her eminent midnight hair in a thick inward spiraling braid that fell to her waistline

"We could always consult Gai, he has experience in this sort of field." the man with jagged, pinned raven hair offered, attempting to suggest a solution. His stern face masked the wrench in his gut as he stood tall with his arm laid around the woman's waist, rubbing her lower back thoughtlessly.

"Gai and his protégé are a separate case entirely." another voice commented regrettably, smooth and relaxed. The blonde man was compassionate as ever.

"I don't know what to do Kosuke..." the woman whispered, holding her husband close as she managed to keep her cool. "She's so young."

"She's too young to give up. Too strong." the towering man insisted despite the situation. "We'll get through this, Umeko. Somehow."

"Mom?" the girl of subject mumbled, attracting the attention of the four adults at her bedside.

"I'm here sweetheart." Yume's mother soothed, leaving Kosuke to approach her daughter's left side. "How do you feel?"

"I don't know…What's wrong?" the pale patient questioned cautiously with lethargically growing concern. All eyes were on her and they shadowed grim news. "Are the others okay?"

"Yes, yes they're fine." the girl's father provided, crossing over to kneel on her right; brushing her hair around her ear. "Your friends are alright. Hinata and Ino are in the rehabilitation wing while the others finish the mission. We're so proud of you Yume."

"Thanks dad." the Uchiha heiress accepted softly, managing a tiny grin despite how she was feeling; which proved to be dreadful. It only took a couple moments of silence for her to pick up on the dull under-pain that wracked her frame as she shifted. "Ow, ahh…So what's the bad news? I can see it on your faces. Will I be out of commission for a few weeks?"

The seasoned shinobi knew they would not be able to fool the injured girl, even while they subconsciously stiffened and prepared themselves mentally. All eyes shifted in the direction of the medical sannin among them.

"The battle injuries you sustained were not an issue. That is not the case with the ninjutsu toxin you were hit with." Tsunade informed as placidly as possible. While a blunt woman by nature, the Slug Princess continued to find it difficult to deliver news of this terrible degree. Nevertheless, she is a blunt woman. "The damage on your body has been devastating."

The Konoha veterans turned faintly to watch with baited breath as the young jonin blinked and briefly struggled with her composure.

"So a few months then?" Yume asked calmly, managing to remain optimistic with a great pull of will. "A few months then I'll be back on the field?" the visages across the room were stagnant upon her inquiries. That did not bode well. "Heh, c'mon guys…I'm gonna be okay. Right?"

The girl's parents squeezed her hands as their chests seethed. Konoha's Hokage managed to keep his soft expression despite hearing the emotional fissure cracking in his breast. Tsunade merely shut her eyes while she took in a deep breath. As she exhaled she opened them slowly, unable to continue avoiding the gloss that ultimately came.

"You may have to accept the fact that you'll never be able to return to the field." Tsunade finished, watching as Yume's face grew perplexed and she let out a heartless chuckle.

"Wh- what do you mean I'll _never_ get back to the field? I'm going to heal." she replied, unable to keep her voice from cracking while she asked her next question. She began to tremble. "I'm going to rest and get better. I'm going to be better…Aren't I…?"

"The toxin…that invaded your system was plotted to attack specific parts of the body." Minato picked up gently, approaching the foot of her bed. "In addition to heavily maiming your muscles it also targeted your organs, nerves and chakra network."

Yume's big dark eyes swelled as she eventually succumbed to the understanding. Steadily taking heavier breaths, the girl tried sitting up just to find that every inch of her body screeched in vicious pain below the numbing shield of medicine.

"So- so what are you saying?" Yume questioned Minato as her soft voice quivered quietly. Her weak hands subconsciously gripped her parents' as she failed to keep the tears from building in her increasingly terrified expression. The silence did nothing to keep her dimming hopefulness.

"Your network was severely ravaged by the toxin, Yume." Konoha's kind leader stated delicately. His passive strength waned as the girl stared into him with the fear of death. Guilt continued to cut down on his insides. "You may never be able to use chakra again…I'm so sorry."

Yume's face contorted in unbridled agony as she shook her head slowly. Her breaths grew quicker and shorter as she began to entirely break down, repeatedly whispering 'no'.

"No…! No, no, no, no- t-this can't be happening- I'm…" the fragile girl mumbled through her restricted throat, unable to control herself as she fell apart. "No, huh, please…"

"Shhh, it's okay baby." Umeko soothed as she joined her daughter on the bed, lifting her lightly and holding her close as the distraught girl couldn't keep from murmuring her denial. Yume's eyes were shut hard as she began to heave, losing her remainder of self-control as her parents cried silently. "Shh…I know sweetheart. I know…"

Yume wept miserably into the arms of her father and mother, sobbing hard as she thought of never using a jutsu again. She was tormented by thoughts of never being a ninja again, or ever going on a mission with her beloved friends. White hot needles pierced her heart as she imagined her team mates Unzari and Kiken, and how she'd never be with them as a team like she had since they first met. Her chest burned with the iron grip of fear and sorrow as she gasped for air between outbursts; her cries echoing throughout the emergency bay, silencing all in the night with her unfiltered suffering.

 **End**

* * *

 **I love you.  
**

 ***heart symbol***

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	18. Double Demons

**16**

 **-Double Demons-**

* * *

 **8:59PM; Marble Hall; Team Kakashi**

After vanquishing the phantom darklings, Konoha's shinobi team arrived within the Samurai's white hall once more. Upon entrance they found little sign of the five dozen or so ragged captives, and there was only one direction for them to go.

"I don't understand…" Rin mumbled in disbelief, retying her short brown hair in a ponytail as they regrouped in mild confusion. "They went back there? Shouldn't we be freeing them?"

"Well, after all the hubbub we still don't have any useful intel." Kakashi stated in lame dissatisfaction, glancing among his subordinates. "Let's go get some answers. Besides, I want to find out why they cowered back into their hole."

"Wait a second guys- hang on." Naruto instructed quickly, grabbing his nearest comrade as she giggled quietly. "Come on Kiken."

He crouched and in a blip of faint blue light the two jonin teleported from sight before the whiskered ninja returned to transport his friends one-by-one back inside the prisoner's holding arena.

"What- Naruto?" Rin asked in disoriented curiosity, taking a knee to ease her spinning nausea. "How'd you do that?"

"I just threw one of my shuriken back here after Neji made our escape from the…black things." the young Uzumaki explained with a modest shrug. "I actually planned to use it as a back-up in case we got cornered or something."

"Good, the less time wasted the better." Kakashi said shortly, leading the group up and out of the arena where the fuinshuriken had landed. Upon reaching the upper level surrounded by conjoined, metal-barred cells the white haired shinobi examined a few prisoners who cowered before him under the grimy light wafting off a dirty lamp nearby. "Hello. Please do not be afraid, we are not your enemies. We are here to help you and find out who did this…"

The seven cramped prisoners in the cell before him huddled in filthy distress, pressing together as tightly as possible. Kakashi was close enough now to study just how disgusting they were.

There were a few elderlies and one female child among the seven. The others were of vague adult age and some appeared genderless while three individuals looked malformed or mutated.

One of which, squatting near the center of the body mound, searched in rapid horror with her good right eye. 'Good' only in comparison with the absence of nearly half of her head, since the poor creature was simply missing her nose, left eye and cheek. Instead she only retained a mouth and jaw that slanted toward what was left of her cranium; pure white skin marking the areas of missing flesh and bone.

One of the men had parts of his skin clawed and shredded off, seemingly self-inflicted due to the incessant gnawing and scratching he performed on himself before the veteran shinobi. Some areas of missing rind revealed a layer of pitch black material that occasionally revealed a white line or symbol along an appendage. He chuckled quietly to himself with a ferociously contorted grimace of pain and insanity.

The last of the mutated in this cell was the child who, to the horror of the ninja squad, lacked several body parts on her right side including her eye, ear, forearm and foot. In the place of these sprouted crooked shell-like appendages of various sizes and purposes, many with serrated ends or pincers. She was heavily bruised and appeared to be bleeding from somewhere amongst her knotty mass of hair.

The poor beings grunted and murmured nonsense, accompanied by occasional gurgles or screeches while a few managed to cough up some dark sticky substance. The prisoners twisted and writhed against one another, seemingly attempting to become one as they tirelessly continued the sick dance to no end. The putrid smell radiating off of their live corpses nearly made the ninja lose their meals.

"Are they experiments…?" Neji asked in solemn, pitiful terror. He shook his head slowly before turning away. "This is vile."

"This has to be Orochimaru's work." Kakashi theorized, his statement landing flatly as his shinobi examined the hushed hysteria of the erratic victims. "We need to get them to Konoha."

"I can do it." Naruto offered, stepping beside his white haired captain. "I can do it but I'm going to need time and-"

"Who are you?" Neji demanded harshly, shocking his comrades as they followed his pale gaze to a figure at the entrance.

The shadowed figure began its approach upon the Hyuga's inquiry as the light didn't seem to fully reach it. Its gait was silent and eerily graceful, ghostly reminiscent of a shinobi. Finally succumbing to the slimy grasp of the putrid yellow light, the tense group scrutinized the newcomer.

It wore segmented, onyx shaded armor distantly reminiscent of a Samurai's. Under its armor it wore a void like body suit, appearing flat as it absorbed all light. It wore a large odachi across its back accompanied by a katana and wakizashi on its waist with a pair of tantos strapped to each thigh. Finally, resting firmly about its face was a dark steel mask painted deep red in the visage of a fanged, grinning demon.

It sauntered listlessly; unguarded in its casual approach. Stopping a dozen meters from the group, the figure folded its arms and leaned to one hip, growing still.

All noise was brought to a halt by the visitor's presence. The wailing and groaning terminated as the prisoners quivered soundlessly. The Konoha agents held their breath and everyone waited anxiously for the single warrior to make its move.

Naruto rapidly grew irritated and restless but settled his nerves through several breaths after long moments of silence.

' **Something is wrong.** ' a fiery monster rumbled within his consciousness before receding with a low, cautious growl.

"Three of you I remember, but the rest I do not know." the Samurai stated sharply, her voice harsh with blades of suspicion. "You are leaving here by the order of General Mifune, and you are telling me why you have been down here vandalizing this hall when you were supposed to be culling your rogue filth."

The agile Samurai elite slowly turned away, finally ripping her hidden eyes from the shinobi as she ambled in her unique fashion toward the only exit.

After a moment of confused hesitation Kakashi nodded to his companions and the Konoha unit followed reluctantly.

"Samurai-san, we all have permission from Mifune to be searching for the ninja that your country suspects invaded." Kakashi stated calmly, increasing his gait to easily keep up and walk beside, yet slightly behind, the haunting warrior. "My subordinates have fought them, and even managed to capture one!"

"I was not informed on your whereabouts Hatake." the woman accused starkly, jerking her head back toward him before slowly turning her demonic gaze ahead. "Congratulations on your _victory_ captain, but you were to inform us on your situation and you failed to do so. The defenses were triggered and the most elite of us rushed to defend our sacred treasures just to find your group of inept imbeciles."

"What would you expect me to-" he started in defense.

" _Sacred treasures_?" this time it was Kiken who spoke up. Her tone proved dangerous along her melodious voice. "You consider dying hordes of afflicted elderly and children to be _sacred treasures_?"

Silence from the woman threw a new wave of revulsion among the shinobi, prompting the horned kunoichi to continue.

"If that's the case, you're a sorry example of a Samurai…and this is a pathetic excuse of a country!" Kiken spat, shocking her team as she stared holes into the back of the Samurai's skull with half a mind to cave it in.

"This is only but a single passage. Regardless, you will be escorted back to your vessel in the south by the finest among my people." the woman informed, suddenly dropping to an ice cold composure. The air chilled as the group stepped over obliterated rubble to exit the dusty corridor and reach the central marble hall. "That means my handpicked battalion and I will be your babysitters for the next few days to make sure you don't go looking where you don't belong. So-"

"Listen lady," Naruto chimed in with blatant frustration, jumping to position himself in front of the woman who continued walking until she was dangerously close to the jinchuuriki, "I can teleport my friends and I out of this hell-hole and back to Konoha in twenty minutes. We wouldn't want to _burden_ you with any more of our help. Besides, I refuse to assist a country that uses its people like ass-wipe anyway. I guess we know the true reason for your neutrality. Kiken's wrong, your country is worse than pathetic."

"Uzumaki Naruto." the Iron agent said softly, looking into his angry blue eyes through the slits in her metal mask. "You're much uglier up close."

The insult was not what sent him off. Naruto can handle another's opinion, no matter how skewed it might be. However, paired with the repulsively bewildering predicament they found themselves in, what further infuriated him was the woman's body language. It bellowed arrogance, and her full trust that she was in no danger. So when she slew her ill appointed insult under such circumstances it lit a fuse within the young warrior.

His blood seared as every muscle clenched with autonomy. He weakly caught faint murmurs coming from his team urging him to keep walking, to just move onward. He peered into her shadowy slits as he slowly leaned into a crouch. To his irascibility, the woman stood unflinching and giggled behind her mask.

'GIVE IT TO ME.' Naruto's mind screamed, drawing upon a ferocious power before he could produce the thought.

A shawl of liquid orange fire enveloped him as his skin was ignited; cloaked by the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Beast. The Iron Demon was amused no longer, drawing the odachi from her back in a defensive stance. It would prove little use as the Uzumaki erupted with energy.

The shockwave of power upon which Naruto unleashed put several meters of space between he and the rest of the awestruck warriors.

In a blur of reddish hate the six-tailed silhouette stepped at the woman, closing the distance as it loomed above her maliciously, raising a deadly burning claw in a flash before blindingly striking the stealth agent down, pinning her with this arm while another taloned hand readied for a final descent.

' **Stop. STOP.** ' a deep voice dripped from within the red heap of Naruto's consciousness. ' **You won't be able to kill her in time and it would do Konoha no good anyway, boy. Release your anger.** '

The Samurai immediately began to sweat profusely, held under the fiery body of Naruto's chakra cloak. She gasped harshly when struck, but showed no sign of injury. The air was hot and stagnant as everyone looked on in fearful apprehension. In everyone's favor however, the unheard words struck home.

Releasing the woman from his grasp, the blonde dissipated his cloak to unmask a closed eyed Uzumaki with furiously jagged whisker marks. Opening his eyes to reveal a feral red gaze, he simply turned and fully entered the immaculate marble hall.

Nimbly jumping upright, the onyx armored woman smoothly sheathed her sword after a moment of tense silence before continuing out of the debris.

 **l l l**

The entirety of the masked Samurai's battalion watched in silence alongside Kakashi's team as nothing could be heard other than Naruto's diligent arrangement of the Dancing Thunder God technique.

"Naruto, how are you feeling?" the young man's old sensei asked wearily, approaching after an extended period of quiet. "That was impressive use of self-control back there. I thought she was dead."

"No it wasn't." he replied patiently, continuously scribbling furious formula of the fuinjutsu code on the shiny white floor. "Don't worry Kakashi-senpai, it won't happen again."

"What are you talking about, of course it was." he offered, but ceased upon the shaking head of his past student. "Enlighten me." he finished blandly.

"The Kyuubi stopped me. I would've ripped her to pieces, _and_ possibly start a fucking war. All due to my temper," he admitted, not removing his eyes from the motions of writing his mass-teleport seal. After a sigh, he continued, "but like I said, it won't happen again. That was my warning shot."

"Hm." the ex-Anbu grunted shortly, staring placidly at the disgruntled ninja. "What about your boat?"

"It's already returned to the hidden dock back home." the young man admitted with a shard of pride as he had previously marked the vessel and its hidden site to make transport more efficient. His boat never went on recurring adventures. The white haired captain smiled fondly under his mask. "I also planted a jump in the Samurai's bay. It's underwater, but not too deep I think. Far enough away to go unnoticed. Didn't know if it'd be useful." There was a pause before the thought hit him, and he scowled at his formula, "…until now."

"I see." Kakashi mumbled as he inspected the younger ninja's handiwork. "Well- that's even more impressive!" he finished brightly, patting Naruto on the back before leaving him to wait with the others.

The jinchuuriki couldn't help but grin and eventually chuckle quietly to himself as he completed the manifold space-time script.

"Alright," he announced, stepping into the center of his Boshiraishin, "get in position."

 **5:21AM; Konoha Infirmary; Hyuga Hinata**

A modest hospital room was filled with the soft silver light of a high moon amongst fluffy clouds. Several bouquets of assorted flowers decorated the counters around the beige couch. Sitting up in her bed, Hinata shifted through the soft white sheets and arched her back, pulling her arms out and yawning with a soft squeak before sweeping her long midnight hair from her colorless eyes.

Turning, the recovering kunoichi noticed a drooling Yamanaka in the chair beside her. The platinum blonde girl was passed out with her head in the sheets and her hands in her lap, clutching what appeared to be another bouquet of flowers.

Hinata let out an "awh" before sliding her left hand through Ino's luscious hair. ' _Jeez_ it's soft,' she thought to herself as she absently pet the girl's head with her thumb.

Shifting quietly before yawning in a slow stretch, Ino awoke and blinked her blurry blues at the young woman before her. She sighed delicately, "hi. You're up finally."

"Finally..? What, can't a girl get some rest?" the drowsy Hyuga mused, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "How long have you been here?"

"Seven or eight hours I guess. We showed up a little after they started allowing guests." Ino explained, leaning over the bed with her chin on her forearms. She gestured lazily to the couch in the corner where two unconscious bodies lay under white hospital sheets. "Sasuke and Hanabi arrived with me. They were both pretty worried due to the nature of your injury, but I reassured them that you were gonna be fine."

"Thank you. What about the others?" Hinata asked with concern, wondering why only Sasuke would show without their third blonde team mate. Concern muddled her tone but Ino's composure kept her calm. "How are they? How long have I been out?"

"Well Naruto stayed behind with Kiken and Neji, they're meeting with Kakashi and Rin to finish the mission. It's only been fourteen hours or so since Naruto used a complicated teleportation jutsu to drop us off." she explained, frowning at the next bit of information. "It was only you, Yume and I who were delivered here along with the hostage. Sadly our tall little Uchiha isn't doing well… She isn't allowed visitors, and from what I can tell she'll be in recovery for a while. As soon as I know something I'll let you know."

"Yume…" Hinata mumbled, her heart pinching for the young kunoichi. "Have you heard from the doctors? Am I able to leave this place yet?"

"The nurse told me you can sign out, you just need to take it easy." Ino smiled, holding Hinata's hand to help as she immediately began to rise. "I checked you too just in case, the medics worked a miracle on you. But seriously don't strain yourself, your organs still need to heal the last bit on their own."

"I see." the byakugan princess grunted, removing her hospital robe as she strolled to her folded clothes, swiftly getting decent. Her stomach roared a monstrous cry, stopping them in their tracks. "Let's go, I'm going to die of starvation. Plus I wanna be ready for our team to return."

"Hahah I get it. Are you sure you don't want to rest?" the blonde asked, following behind her anxious Hyuga friend. "You know it's not even 6AM yet, right?"

"Yes… I just want to be prepared. And I'm going to implode if I don't get food." she replied smiling, signing out with the nurse as they moved to leave the infirmary. "At least we completed our objective out there."

"Yep, all thanks to you!" Ino gleamed, pushing Hinata spiritedly. "We might be the ones dispatched to clean up the rest of the rogue situation once they get all the info they can out of her."

"Hehe, thanks Ino." she accepted shyly, exiting the doors of the bland building. "Well until then, _let's eat_!"

 **Hidden Location**

Yushin marched calmly into the grand dining hall he was summoned to. After several long moments he finally reached the man standing on the far end, heavy boots echoing against the smooth stone surfaces. He stood before a board tacked with definitions, files and stratagem including what appeared to be several sets of blueprints.

Arriving, Yushin bowed low behind the man with black shoulder length hair. The man turned to him, holding his palms together against his lower back. The man was slightly shorter than Yushin, and had a smoother expression despite the wicked scar that maimed his neck and right shoulder underneath his cloak, clearly the remnant of some mighty burn.

"At ease, Yushin." the man commanded in a pleasant tone, eyes of rigid onyx inspecting the rough appearance of the slightly younger man. His angular features bore a calculating expression of calm appeal. "I trust you're here to deliver your report?"

"Yes and sensei was right, Konoha is searching for us. We were forced to evacuate one of our southern bases." the bulky Uchiha elaborated, unflinching when his higher up's visage shifted into suspended anger. "I sent one of my units to deal with the trackers, but she was ultimately thwarted by what turned out to be one of our own; a girl named Yume."

"Ahh, I see." the scarred man sighed lamely, putting a hand to his chin in thought as he relaxed. "That's Kosuke's daughter, isn't it?"

"I didn't know his daughter's name, but as soon as she opened her big mouth I knew who she was." Yushin educed, recalling her declaration before the start of their battles. "So now that we have most of what we need, what are you planning to do next, Aoto?"

"That's not entirely up to me," the commander confessed, folding his arms as he turned to thoughtlessly observe his strategy bulletin, "but I predict we'll gather here to plan our next course of action. Better to be condensed where we'll never be found than spread out again now that Konoha's finest are scouring this wasteland."

"Huh, agreed." Yushin grunted, turning to gaze down the long obsidian dining table. "Well commander, do you need me for anything else tonight?"

"Yes." the erudite man answered lowly, shifting in his deep leather trench coat to look over his shoulder at the subordinate. "The master wants you."

Yushin paled slightly but merely nodded, staring into his elder's cringed gaze. Clenching his fists, he nodded hollowly once more then bowed and made his departure, muttering to himself inaudibly.

"Fuck."

 **End**

* * *

 **Yay I'm back & better than ever!**

 **Look at all deez flie hunnies.**

 **I wanna see a fight between Rick and Stanford while Morty and Dipper brawl in the background.**

 **Wubba lubba dub duuuub!**

 **-Kyzer-**


	19. Homecoming Revelations

**17**

 **-Homecoming Revelations-**

* * *

 **Tuesday, 9:37PM; Hokage Tower**

An exotic orb of law-defying behavior expanded noisily into energetic existence just outside the cylindrical structure in which Konoha's leader resided. Bizarre flashes of dull light blinked several times to reveal five jonin-level shinobi; one of which knelt down to hold her head in an attempt to keep her world from spinning.

"Ogh- ugh…" a nauseated brunette with purple face-paint doubled over, allowing her head to rest nearly upside down against her knee. "How come none of you get- ugh, get sick?"

"Well Rin, not all of us are-" Kakashi began playfully.

"Sh-" a whiskered ninja stressed quietly, closing his eyes with a palm pointed at the strange, heart-sized object hovering above the earth; Naruto's right hand held a sign against his chest. "Nobody make a sound."

The group of passively disoriented shadow soldiers watched curiously as the blonde closed his eyes in deep concentration…

 **Naruto via Boshiraishin Anchor**

"… _knows the drill, right? You find something, you bring it to_ me _."_ a familiarly abrupt female instructed, addressing a mass of elite Samurai adorned in superiorly ornate armor. _"Search the halls for any remaining filth, there may be more of them skulking around- and make sure you lock the rats back up! Once we're done cleaning up this mess no one is to recite this operation, understood? This shit stays here."_

A massive _'Yes, Commander Akaike!'_ resonated throughout the Marble Hall before the sound of many feet following orders began their immense, elongated cacophony.

 **Hokage Tower**

Opening his deep blues, the Uzumaki heir clenched his left palm into a tight fist, cutting off his power; ultimately dissipating the space-time technique in a silent *thwarp* of negative light.

"Damn it, I didn't get much out of that," the frustrated sealing expert cursed, turning to face the rest of his team, "but I was eavesdropping on the Samurai we just left. They're searching the rest of that place for more 'filth', us I guess, and they're gonna lock the prisoners back up. The masked bitch was the one giving orders again, and the battalion called her ' _Commander Akaike_ '."

"Why'd you need us to be quiet?" Kiken asked peculiarly, hands held behind her lower back as she rocked on her heels. "Can you talk through it?"

"The Boshiraishin has a few advantages over my normal teleportation." the jinchuuriki explained as a cool breeze brushed the group, initiating their walk toward his father's office. "The setup takes longer than just transporting you one-by-one but once I perfect the formula it'll be faster and easier to transport several individuals at once. Since it's an active jutsu I'm able to sustain it and jump between the connected spots and even interact with one side from another, hence the eavesdropping. Except I haven't gotten the hang of doing that one-way just yet."

"Huh…" the horned woman sighed thoughtfully, following her team into the edifice with light footsteps as her curly green hair bounced about. "Badass."

"You don't think they were suspicious of the orb on the other side?" Neji asked in placid curiosity, making colorless eye-contact with the jinchuuriki since he looked back at the older Hyuga in thought. Neji continued, "That demon-masked woman seemed to come from a breed of high caliber Samurai."

"Not at all." Naruto cleared confidently, stretching his arms as he easily guided his friends to the stairs. "It wasn't up long, and it's a jutsu few have ever witnessed before. It's not even finished, so it's not like they could have realized its full potential. She wouldn't gain anything from being suspicious of it either way."

"Hm. I thought about something earlier." Kakashi mentioned idly, a hand in his pocket while his other held a legacy copy of Icha-Icha. Rin eyed him as she followed in a swaying motion, holding her head with a delicate hand. "This Boshiraishin made me question why you brought us back one-by-one into that dungeon by way of your fuinshuriken. Although I figured you had your reasons."

Naruto gestured nonchalantly as they climbed the steps of the sturdy tower. "I don't want the Samurai knowing I can just teleport when I want. Plus, I need the practice, so I made use of the opportunity. This technique is more flexible and allows me to teleport within a greater area of my markers instead of the strict two-meter radius with fuinshuriken when I transmit directly."

There was a composed, collective understanding among his companions before they reached the Hokage's office, receiving a welcome before Naruto's knuckles could make contact.

" _Come in everyone_." a relaxed call came from within their destination. They entered the room smoothly, greeted by a vaguely disheveled Kage. "Glad to see everyone is accounted for. Outstanding work capturing Uchiha Shiori, I know it was not a simple task. You will be glad to hear that Yamanaka Ino, Hyuga Hinata and Uchiha Yume have all been sustained and will recover from their injuries." the spikey haired war veteran informed with a subatomic amount of guarded hesitation. The subtle hint just barely made it under the team's notice as Minato continued. "I assume you're all ready to report?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kakashi accepted, stepping forth as the commanding officer among the combined teams. The white-haired legend described the events during their time in the Land of Iron, including only what he could personally recount. "Naruto and his team have more to add I'm sure, but that's the entirety of my mission. Ultimately we've returned with more questions than answers."

"This is disturbing news." the Yellow Flash confessed, assorting a few stacks of paperwork into their respective piles. "It appears the Samurai haven't been entirely forthcoming about their intentions. Their involvement with our rogue ninja is an issue we will continue to be quite watchful of. Naruto, do you have more to add?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." the Kyuubi container answered respectfully, stepping forward as his old team captain gave way. The black-cloaked Uzumaki elaborated in full detail the encounter with Uchiha Yushin's team from his point of view, allowing Neji and Kiken to input their own individual comments along the way, painting a rich picture of the battle that ensued the prior evening. "What happened to the girl we brought back? Was the Intelligence Division able to get anything out of her?"

"Yes, thankfully." Minato acknowledged with content, leaning back in his chair restfully. "You just missed Ibiki-san, he finished reporting to me shortly before your arrival. Not to any of your discredit, as you all performed extremely well, but it seems as though you managed to capture the rogue with the least information of the Cult's operations. Actually, in a way, you've liberated her."

"Be that as it may, we still managed to acquire significant data about the traitors." he continued, folding his arms across his chest as he recalled the torture-investigator's descriptions. "Shiori and Kosai are siblings, that much we knew, but it so happens that she didn't willingly disappear with Hideo's team during their sedition amongst the chaos of the Suna incident. She was, for all intents and purposes, abducted and eventually persuaded by her brother into conforming with their ideal."

"What would that be?" Rin asked in serious interest, brow furrowed in thought. "I don't understand what would cause so many of our own to defect like this."

"Well since she wasn't privy to their plans, Shiori was kept in isolation for a long time. Despite Kosai's careless personality, he managed to defend his little sister against their superiors, telling them ' _she'd come around_ '. Which she did to a degree, but because of her hesitation she was never closely trusted by their leaders, who we believed to be Aoto and Yushin among our _UtG_ file." Minato continued, eyes locked on distant, disappointed imagining. "Because of this she was forced to do grunt work while they curved important information around her. It's been a rough few years for the poor girl."

The team, aside from Kakashi and Kiken, shifted uncomfortably at their leader's conflicting remark. Neji merely squinted a hairsbreadth.

"Your reaction is understandable." the tired Hokage recognized, observing their complexions morph into confusion due to his sympathetic attitude toward one of the deserters. "She attacked and injured our Hinata, and she will receive due consequence. However, we cannot dismiss the facts relating to her abduction and likely execution upon denial of the Cult's entrance."

Minato's final point spread reluctant acceptance between the worn jonin, who remained patiently still as the docile man continued. Kiken stared through the floor in thought.

"The girl was able to reveal that Uchiha Aoto is in fact the head of the Cult's operation. However alarming that is, we now know that there is also a small conglomeration of followers they've attracted that reside somewhere across the sea. The Cult has an estimated following of three hundred, however we do not know the exact accuracy of Shiori's claim; we simply know it's an honest one. Most of that number is made up of criminals, apparently."

"Furthermore Shiori affirmed that there is a possible tie between some Samurai and the rogues. Vague as it is, I have set the Land of Iron on Abunai-level watch until further information can be gathered." the veteran shinobi recited, taking in a silent breath before finishing his lengthy elucidation. "The Cult's basic plan was roughly explained to the girl by her brother. Kosai told her that 'The Master', as known as Aoto, plans on gaining enough power to use some sort of ultimate technique to conquer the planet. Before this they strive to unite all Uchiha under one village in an attempt for the 'Master' to become all-powerful and 'cull the world of its filth', or so he says. I'm sure Aoto makes it out to be a fantastical goal."

"Conquer the planet? Hahahh, yeah good luck." Naruto scoffed, chuckling at the thought as he shook his head. "With powerful guys like you, Kakashi and Jiraiya walking around, what's he expect to do? Fight us all?"

"That's exactly what we hope to discover." the jinchuuriki's father responded, grinning at his son's confidence. "Well that is all I have for you tonight. You are dismissed, so long as you all remember to fill out your official mission reports before sundown tomorrow. Excellent job everyone. Our work isn't yet finished, so expect some of you to be sent back there in the near future."

"Yes, thank you Hokage-sama!" a round of appreciation resounded from the group, happy for the validation but excited for the opportunity to relax. Neji, Kakashi and Kiken all handed Minato their fully finished reports before following the rest of their comrades. Aside from Kiken and Rin, who stayed behind upon their Hokage's belated request.

The rest of the jonin happily exited the debriefing, leaving the Hokage Tower together before steadily disbanding for their respective homes in a leisurely farewell.

 **Wednesday, 8:00AM; Uzumaki Clan District**

"Yosh." a whiskered man exclaimed energetically, landing a calculated fist on his alarm clock. The well-rested jinchuuriki sat up, elated that it happened to be his day off. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, the refreshed jonin rose to prepare for the day.

After a quick, invigorating shower the naked blonde brushed his teeth and began the task of donning his shinobi clothes and equipment.

Finally throwing on his black, flame-emblazoned cloak Naruto appeared at his parent's manor in an instant; knocking excitedly.

Opening the heavy front door, Kushina's passive visage exploded into cheerful delight. "Naruto!" she exclaimed, grabbing her eldest child into a tight hug. This was consistent with her usual reaction at her son's return from dangerous, and/or unusually elongated missions. "How are you? Minato told me what happened with Hinata and Yume. I'm glad you're alright!"

"Yeah, Dad said they're gonna be fine." he informed with a soft sigh, allowing her to end the embrace and pull him into his childhood home. Naruto didn't notice the subtle face she made at her son's initial remark. "I'm good, but what about you? Did you worry too much again?"

"No, no I worried the usual amount." the scarlet-haired woman informed with a sly grin, taking a seat in a love-chair across from her son who flipped his coat up and sank into the couch. "How was the mission? Traitors, huh?"

"C'mon Mom, you know I'm not supposed to discuss this stuff for safety reasons. Besides, it's a dark subject." Naruto responded, eyeing her as she nodded lamely. "We should focus on happy things when I'm home."

"I know sweetheart; I just miss the field is all. But you're right, as per our agreement we won't discuss missions such as these." the Uzumaki matriarch acknowledged, pouting to herself. "So you better go on a crazy-fun and wild adventure soon so we have something about you to talk about!"

"Well I suppose I could fill you in on a little jutsu idea I've cooked up… It's not perfected yet," Naruto wondered, staring through the ceiling in false thought, "but I don't knowww, it may not be worth the trouble."

"Oh, tell me!" Kushina brightened, fully aware of his sarcastic undertone but fascinated nonetheless.

"Ahah well it's called Boshiraishin…" the young son explained, grinning as he went on about the interworking details of his new technique and how it might apply in precise strategy versus the chaotic heat of battle once perfected. He felt as if his ancestors would be proud. Kushina understood fuinjutsu greatly, as it was her heritage, and remembered the dual, invisible tag marks on her back given by her son and husband for protection. Naruto and his father made a point to tag key locations and individuals. They worried too much.

After well over an hour was spent explaining the Dancing Thunder God technique, their conversation evolved into casual catch-up on lesser things until Naruto brought the reunion to an end, feeling the need to see his little sister and visit several specific friends.

"Alright Mom, I love you." he invited, embracing Kushina once again to depart. "We'll hang out soon, good seeing you."

"I know, I love you too darling." the redhead replied, squeezing Naruto so tight he thought he might break in half before she released him and waved him off. "Go give your sister my love!"

"Absolutely! Haha, bye Mom!" Naruto chuckled, vanishing in a vague blur.

 **9:43AM; The Academy**

The redolent smell of scrolls and metallic scent of lockers provided the teleporting jonin with a rush of nostalgia from his early days training to be an official ninja. Naruto took in a deep memetic breath as he glanced subconsciously at the ceiling where his unseen tag lied before searching for the room Ayama was currently in.

Locating the class undiscovered, the elite shinobi investigated the situation in pure, day-lit stealth. Umino Iruka stood beside a desk and blackboard as he lectured the details of chakra, and how it's limits can be expanded similarly to how muscles grow stronger.

Before another atom could vibrate, Naruto appeared theatrically atop the teacher's desk, squatted low as Iruka currently faced the chalkboard with no idea of his past student's presence.

The children gasped in dazed awe, causing their mentor to agree, "Yes! It's fascinating what you can achieve with the energy that resides within every cell of ou- OH!" the seasoned instructor gasped, startled at the sight of Naruto's black coat as he turned to catch the blonde facing his students, mocking him with funny faces and lip-synced actions. "Naruto! Get off my desk!"

"Ohh, alriight…" the mischievous jinchuuriki grumbled. The kids burst into a fit of laughter while Naruto turned and approached his old teacher, finally pulling him in for a patting hug. "Hey Iruka-sensei, how are you? Have you seen a little shinobi around here, maybe yay-big and full of energy?" the aspiring mini-shinobi craved to hear what the impressive looking man was saying to their educator as a hush fell upon them aside from restrained bursts and giggles.

"Haah, hey Naruto-san. I've been good." Iruka sighed with a smile, releasing his ranking officer. "Hm, I don't know if I've seen any ninja like tha-"

"Naruto-oniisaan!" a small, energetic voice called as a little girl raced toward the adults, quickly colliding with the elder Uzumaki as her strawberry hair flailed wildly. "I missed you! How was your mission, did you beat up any bad guys?"

"Haha actually yes I did." he admitted, drawing an 'Ooooo' from the little girl's classmates. "I just wanted to say hi, Mom does too, and to let you know I'm safe and ready to teach you a new technique like I promised."

Ayama's celeste eyes brightened and she squealed with excitement, "Ahh! I can't wait- are you gonna teach me rasengan? Hhahh- are you gonna teach me how to teleport?"

"Haha, we'll see! I love you." the older brother eluded, giving her a warm hug and quick kiss before releasing her and turning to her instructor. "I'm going to leave now, sorry for interrupting Iruka-sensei." Naruto finished respectfully, bowing low.

"Eheh, that's perfectly alright Naruto-kun." the docile man allowed, rubbing his head in sheepish embarrassment at the formality.

"You all listen to Iruka-sensei now, understand? You guys wanna be awesome ninja?!" the blonde asked the young learners, receiving a resounding ' _YES!_ ' from the awestruck children. He understood the sort of impression he was leaving these kids with and wanted to use it in the best way possible, heavily inspired by his father. "Then you _have_ to be good for him! He's one of the biggest reasons I turned out so awesome. Work hard, I'll see you guys later!"

With that, the blue-eyed elite vanished in a blink; leaving the class studying Umino Iruka with newfound esteem and admiration.

 **10:07AM; Streets of Konoha**

The vibrant wind sweeping through Konohagakure was crisp and fresh, further elevating Naruto's pleasant mood as he strolled under the rapidly rising morning sun.

Hinata was not to be found at her home, as per usual. It was positively like her to spend free time further into the village, 'wasting' as little time near her father as possible.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu." The casual blonde summoned, creating eleven new versions of himself. All of which disbanded immediately to put in the work searching for a single person among the masses within their great village.

It wasn't long before a clone spotted the Hyuga heiress, dispelling upon his discovery; alerting the original. The real blonde switched with the copy he thought was closest via fuinjutsu and made his way to the white-eyed kunoichi.

"Oi, Hinata!" he called after a minute, finally locating her. Hinata waved alongside her sister as they rose from their seats at a table under some trees hugging a modest restaurant courtyard.

"Hey Naruto." Hanabi greeted after her sibling, allowing him a pleasant smile. Her regal presence was heavily evident in comparison to her sister.

"What's up?" the elder Hyuga inquired, hugging her old team mate briefly. "Do we have a mission?"

"No, I just wanted to see if you healed well. I want to visit Yume too, since she was terribly wounded." Naruto sighed, envisioning her bloodied, unconscious body collapsed in the snow. "So basically: How are you, and would you like to join me?"

"Yes I'm fine, luckily Tsunade is a genius or I wouldn't be walking for another week. And yes, of course I'd love to see Yume-chan." She accepted, turning toward her sister. "You're obviously welcome as well."

"Well yeah, you couldn't stop me anyway." Hanabi taunted, grinning at her sister with a challenging smolder in her eyes.

Hinata's frozen stare could have turned Hanabi into a ninja-cicle. "Let's see Yume." she ushered eventually, giggling at her younger counterpart.

The white-eyed jonin caught Naruto's gentle gaze as he watched the two sisters before he regained his usual demeanor upon receiving her attention, gesturing for them to depart, "Let's go!"

 **10:21AM: Konoha Infirmary**

Making their way through the sanitized halls of the second floor, the trio spotted a familiar Nohara clan woman talking with a taller, spikey haired man outside their intended destination. Concern bloomed among them as they neared, since Rin's expression was fixed in an apprehensive state before she noticed them.

"Oh- hey guys." The kunoichi greeted, causing her black-haired companion to face them. They quickly recognized the shinobi to be Obito, and were subtly surprised as his presence had been missing for several weeks. He simply smiled as they made their approach.

"Is it okay to see Yume?" Hinata asked first, not wanting to face the question the three of them yearned to address.

"Absolutely." The senior Uchiha answered, completing two strides before opening the door for them. "Unzari and Kiken are already here."

Hanabi eyed her elders as Hinata split a worried gaze between Naruto, entering the comfortably sized, dimly lit room adorned in beautiful flowers; compliments of Ino they were certain. Thin rays of golden sunlight peaked through the blinds behind a foldout sofa.

Passing the doorway, the concerned visitors were immediately greeted with two big, clear purple eyes as Unzari observed them from his place spread out on the far couch. Yume, in a medical cot to their right, was facing the white haired shinobi as Kiken snored quietly in her lap, passed out in a chair at her bedside.

The young, black haired woman followed her shirtless companion's gaze and fought an unseen battle to remain composed. "Hey, guys." Yume greeted, managing a sweet smile, looking over them with two ebony orbs. "What's up?"

"We just wanted to check on you." Naruto answered, waving at the half-naked ninja before walking over to hug Yume, hesitating. "May I?"

"Hehehm, of course; I'm only a little sore." The patient allowed with a small giggle, spreading her arms open as he came around to her right side. The Hyuga sisters followed suit, each sharing their love with the wounded Uchiha. "You recovered well, Hinata."

"Me? Oh, eheh, yeah. It's all thanks to Tsunade." Hinata admitted, rubbing the area of scar-less skin where an enflamed sword had impaled her.

"Sakura-chan helped too, don't forget about her." Yume informed politely, Unzari nodded in the background as he gazed nebulously into his mindscape. "Ino's so nice with all these flowers, isn't she?"

"Very thoughtful." The pale-eyed jonin agreed, looking over the Yamanaka's handiwork before returning her white gaze to the lady of subject. "When do they say you'll be released?"

"Two weeks from Sunday, but Rin says I may be out sooner. Who knows?" the injured girl answered after brief hesitation. "Don't go on any crazy missions without me, okay?"

"Hahah, we'll try." Naruto chuckled, glancing down as Kiken's messy green hair shifted upon her ascension. "Hey sleepyhead, sorry to wake you."

"Hm, hi guys." The newly roused kunoichi hailed, swinging a single hand to throw her thick green hair behind her; automatically adjusting the curly mass around her elegantly curved draconic horns. "No problem, I slept long enough as it is." She finished with a yawn, exposing her sharp fangs as she stretched broadly.

The six of them traded looks, aside from the Yuki clan survivor who remained uncharacteristically quiet. Naruto, beside himself, was at a loss for words since the room felt like it would implode if someone spoke.

A heavy hush fell upon the room. While Yume could usually keep up her pleasant demeanor alongside Kiken, Unzari was not as efficient an actor. He retained a generally neutral appearance, but his abnormal silence made the outside visitors uneasy.

"We may go if you like?" it was Hanabi who spoke up, greatly underestimating the scenario as if the other three merely wanted to be alone as a team, like when they were genin. "We wouldn't want to impose."

"No, no you can stay." Yume replied, curious worry marking her angular features. She didn't want them to know. She didn't want anyone to know. "You're fine, really."

"That's okay Yume, we'll visit again. Get your rest." Hinata picked up, following a similar train of thought as the younger Byakugan user, but with a thick underlying suspicion. "It's nice talking to you again. See you soon."

"Take care." Naruto added, leaving as fluidly as possible; shutting the door inaudibly behind them.

Rin and Obito hadn't moved, appearing to be locked in deep conversation. The three young shinobi simply caught eye contact with the two adults, making for the exit in a somber silence.

"What do you think that was about?" the blonde asked softly, exiting the large rectangular building into the bright embrace of daylight.

"I don't know." Hinata replied, mentally searching for possible solutions. Hanabi listened with great interest. She wished the best for her sparring rival. "I'm sure they'll tell us soon. They're usually open like that."

"I hope so, I hate worrying." Naruto grumbled, walking with the sisters into the street. "Hey, I'm going to finish my report and deliver it to my dad, I'll see you two later."

"Oh, okay." The jinchuuriki's team mate responded, waving fleetingly as he took his leave in a casual walk.

"Later Naruto!" Hanabi gestured, internally astounded to see the blonde in such a mood. Her sister turned and made for home, the chunin following in kind. "…Do you think Yume will be alright?"

"Of course, silly." Hinata lied, throwing a kind glance at her intelligent sibling. 'She has to be.'

 **7:48PM: Hokage Tower**

Minato stood by the window of his office, staring into the clouds while they grew orange and pink as the sun sank into the earth. Several dangers lurked over his shoulder and it chipped at his stamina simply mulling over the details of Konoha's increasing threats.

Ties with the allied Suna unraveling, the neutral Land of Iron becoming a worrisome risk and expert native shinobi defecting along with an apparent cult dedicated to the uprising of an "Uchiha Empire"; and all within the expanse of a decade!

'Is peace truly unattainable through common democracy?' the tired Kage pondered, quickly putting the thought out of his mind. 'Of course not, I'm simply not doing enough. Maybe it's time to convene with the Raikage...'

"Hokage-sama."

"Hm? Yes?" the deeply distracted man asked, turning to face an Anbu duo patiently awaiting his return from the mental plane.

"You summoned us, Hokage-sama." the shorter of the two informed respectfully, unmoving it its white porcelain mask marked by violet lines, smoothly forming the visage of a boar.

"Yes, of course." Minato wiped his brow swiftly before he continued. "I have a mission for you both. You will be joined by two others."

The dual operatives shifted minutely in faint discomfort at the mention of their team being modified.

"I know, I know. You two work perfectly on your own, but these men are an excellent fit." He informed, staying their uneasiness for the time being. "You will be working with Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto."

The stoic agents shared a glance before nodding respectfully. They've heard of the Uchiha and the team Obito is creating as well as their Hokage's son and his reputation as a staple shinobi among the jonin ranks. Regardless of their opinions, they would do as their Hokage commands.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." the taller Anbu answered, bowing his scarlet marked wolf mask alongside his female comrade. "What is the assignment?"

"Infiltrate the Hidden Sand, assess their military strength and investigate the status of their jinchuuriki." Minato stated simply, in a fashion similar to the way one would order supper. "You four will be leaving tomorrow night."

"Hokage-sama, will we be unmasking?" the evidently female Anbu asked, cocking her head to one side. It was a relevant question, as they were being paired with two 'standard' jonin.

"For the duration of this mission, they will be gifted with masks of their own and pose as Anbu since their identities are too high value." their chief answered, grinning at their bizarre attachment to the porcelain that simplified their identification. "This is a relatively simple espionage mission, but due to the nature of our relationship with Suna, and how close you're getting to their prized weapon I declare this mission an S-rank task."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The elites responded in unison.

"Good, you will return here at noon tomorrow." The Hokage informed, looking upon them with reserved curiosity. "Thank you, you are dismissed."

With a tight salute the keen duo departed in a noiseless distortion of the space they previously occupied.

 **Unknown Time; Unknown Location**

Two great doors gave easily to a powerful hand as the bulky man entered a room rarely disturbed. His boots played a percussive song as he approached a figure wreathed in darkness. Most of the sconces along the walls on either side went unlit; the few that were aflame cast deep shadows who danced in sick congruency with the man's approaching march.

Sitting near a mess of haphazardly rigged computers against several tube tanks filled with thick liquid was a figure who stood unmoving in the tainted light that was granted.

"You can deactivate your sharingan Yushin, I'm not going to kill you." The man rasped, chuckling almost toward the end. A scowl crossed the Uchiha's face. "…You failed."

The final words hung about the air like a guillotine despite the man's greasy promise. He released another broken chuckle before continuing.

"How?" the unsettling man asked simply, with nigh childlike curiosity.

"They were stronger than I had anticipated, and stronger than us entirely once I used the Susano'o to keep my team and I alive under their bombardment." The subordinate elaborated matter-of-factly. He feared no consequence, but would not be put down like a dog if he were to be smitten. Much too stubborn.

"I see. You will die upon your next mistake." The Master informed blandly, waving a lazy hand. "Leave…"

Yushin made no motion of respect before he turned and played cacophonic music with his heavy boots. Leaving the room with a sour taste in his mouth, the irascible Uchiha made his exit without so much as shutting the heavy double doors.

 **End**

* * *

 **Doooooooooooooooooooooooooooood**

 **Halloween is basically on top of us.**

 **I'm being the Joker!  
**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	20. Assignment Duality

**18**

 **-Assignment Duality-**

* * *

 **Thursday, 8:53AM; Konoha Infirmary**

A restless user of the hyoton kekkei genkai sat in silence, fiddling with a smoothed piece of dark oak. The room felt tranquil as he listened to the steady breaths of his kunoichi comrades, nearly charmed in the slowly brightening room. Whittling the wood with a kunai, Unzari shot a mildly irritated look at the door as three precise knocks echoed through the placid space.

A mass of malachite green shifted with dual protruding horns while the young man fluidly made his way to answer the unexpected guest before he woke his comrades. Exiting Yume's domain, the tall shinobi appeared before a face he recognized but was not entirely familiar with. Taking up much of the archway, the Yuki clan member looked over the shorter, stocky visitor.

"Who are you?" the white-haired man asked frankly, sparing no patience for courtesy. His tone came off harsher than he meant, "What do you want?"

"I'm Daisuke, Hokage-sama sent me to fetch Ryu Kiken and this is where I was told she would be found." The seasoned jonin stated simply. He wore black stilted sandals and jonin attire of the generic variety. A smooth, wavy orange line atop matching dots marked each cheek, revealing his Akimichi clan heritage. "She is here, is she not?"

"Yeah." Unzari answered bluntly, opening the door without turning before finally stepping within the bubble of floral scents. "Can't it wait?"

"I do not know, I did not think to question our Hokage." the stout veteran challenged, not acknowledging Unzari's face of tested tolerance as he entered. "Excuse me, miss Ryu?"

"I heard you." Kiken mumbled from her mound of pillows stacked at Yume's bedside. She rose with grace, removing hair from her cranky face as her male team mate joined her side. "Minato-sama wants me _now_?"

"I'm afraid so, Ryu-san." Daisuke bowed, rising to see the kunoichi glancing back at her bedridden friend. Sudden tears gave her dismayed ice-like eyes a silky finish.

"I hope it's for a mission." She admitted as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her forearm before sifting through the brawny men with tight fists. "I need to hit something."

The estranged duo exchanged a look of apologetic respect before the humble assistant followed Kiken out.

 **9:04AM; Hokage Tower**

"Yes, Minato-sama?" a horned kunoichi greeted questioningly, entering the chamber in one smooth motion. Looking about the office, she begrudgingly noticed that the Akimichi assistant she previously ditched had beaten her.

"Hello Kiken." the Hidden Leaf Kage replied, genuine as he scrutinized the unusually sullen young woman. "How are you holding up?"

"Oh, well… You know." The fanged girl shrugged, uncharacteristically still as she stood before her calm leader. Minato was standing behind his desk when she entered. Walking around to lean on its other side, he faced Kiken again as he crossed his arms. She cocked her head curiously, "What's up?"

"An assignment. I want you to go back to the Land of Iron and investigate this 'Commander Akaike' that your team witnessed over there." He stated bluntly, reading her eyes as she listened. "Recon. Determine if there are, in fact, ties between the Samurai and the Cultists. We need to know for certain. You make a suitable choice, not to mention your immunity to the cold."

A blaze ignited within the dragon summoner's eyes, "When? Am I going solo?"

"As soon as you're able. I don't want to send too many jonin out, since we seem to be on the rise of many conflicts," Minato explained, his intelligent eyes analyzing the increasingly energized kunoichi, "so no more than three, including you."

"Unzari." Kiken decided without missing a beat; her face bright with excited resolve. "You can count on us Minato-sama. He _is_ an ice user you know, plus he and I –"

"No." the Hokage declared sternly, staring down into the woman's stunned eyes as she rapidly grew into perplexed anger. "Rin has informed me about your tendencies in the past. She warned me that without Yume…things could get out of hand. The fact that you're both in a state of mourning _over_ your team's stabilizing member _and_ her career death only hastens the fear of you two losing control together in the exact environment of subject."

"But, but!" Kiken attempted, hands lifted in protest with profound loss for words at her commander's logic. Her emotions had reversed harshly, and she started shaking with fury, "What if we include Rin?!"

"…I will have to consult her." Minato sighed, unable to argue as her old team mentor was the perfect substitute for the decommissioned Uchiha. "Until I see her, think about who you may choose instead of Mr. Yuki."

"…Yes sir." The horned kunoichi acknowledged tautly, shifting to bow in respect after enunciating the strained phrase. "Will that be all, Hokage-sama?"

Blinking, he studied the Ryu woman, noticing her choice of words and heavily vehement aura. He stood upright, nodding slowly, "You're dismissed."

The seething, powerful warrior withdrew from the round office in five slight pats of her tiny bare feet.

 **11:58AM; Streets of Konoha**

A fair skinned elite sauntered toward the Hokage's structure. His spikey, back-flowing onyx hair waved in the breeze under a large influx of clouds that had yet to snuff out the warm sun.

Hands in his pockets as he approached, the ebony eyed man noticed quite briefly two shadows arrive at his intended destination in a whisp of movement. Curious as he made his way, the unfazed shinobi felt a familiarly immense chakra behind him. Turning slowly, he met with the blue eyes of his blonde counterpart.

"Hey Naruto." The Uchiha greeted with a smile, realizing he was about to attend a mission with his closest friend for the first time in several months.

"What's up Sasuke?" the Uzumaki chuckled, coming upon a similar realization. The old friends locked hands before continuing into the red building. "How've you been? Got any new tricks to show off, any badass Uchiha secrets?"

"Good man, and definitely. We've gotten pretty strong." The sharingan user admitted, visualizing his Uchiha team's ultimately devastating coordinated assaults. "If the Cult is gonna try and make some kind of false 'Uchiha Kingdom', then we're gonna fight fire with fire. Perhaps literally."

The easygoing ninja shared a laugh as they ascended the steps, quickly finding their way to their leader's central workplace. Entering the illuminated headquarters, the light and dark haired duo were met by the presence of two dauntingly stoic Anbu agents.

"Sasuke, Naruto, welcome." Minato greeted evenly, looking over them as their light demeanor shifted instantaneously into tight professionalism at the sight of the higher-status shinobi. It was not often the eager ninja stood in a room as the lowest ranking members, even if they might have been stronger. "Now that we've gathered, let us begin."

"I am sending the four of you to investigate the military power of the Hidden Sand. We want to know how many jonin, chunin and genin they have. What state their Anbu are in, if it is possible to discover such information." Their Hokage instructed, facing them as he stood by the open window which allowed for abundant sunlight to seep in, warming them under the cool draft. "Additionally you are to examine their Ichibi (One-Tail) jinchuuriki, Gaara of the Sand. Also known as the Sand's Ultimate Weapon. It is suspected that you two," he spoke, gesturing to the silent Black Ops members, "might have seen him among the Suna Anbu dealing with some yet-to-be-known third party; whom are also being investigated."

"Accomplish this in the best way you see fit. Naruto, Sasuke, for this mission you will be given your own Anbu masks as this is a task worthy of their precise nature. However, since we are rapidly approaching a conflict on one end or the other, I have tightened our hold on Konoha's borders. Meaning I have less and less Anbu shinobi to send on aggressive ventures and therefore will allow you two to take their hypothetical place." The Hokage paused, pondering a moment. He was silently prideful of the Hidden Leaf and the citizens it has produced as he perceived the Will of Fire irradiating off the soldiers before him. "Keep in mind that if your presence is detected, you will have no assistance other than what you four can provide. If your identities are found, war will erupt between Suna and Konoha, and due to our treaties, Iwa (Hidden Rock) and Kumo (Hidden Cloud) will be forced to intervene respectively."

"This is a high-risk assignment that has a high probability of immense payoff. It's an assignment I know the four of you can handle." Minato informed, his expression hardening as he prepared his next sentence, "That being said, if something goes south…I expect you to make the highest sacrifice. For the greater good of the Hidden Leaf as well as the shinobi world; do not allow yourselves to be identified. No matter the cost." He met his gaze with each person before him, paying his son no special attention through a great, concealed strain of will.

"Naruto, here is your mask. Sasuke, this is yours." The spikey haired commander offered, holding out two white porcelain disguises of separate uniqueness.

The jinchuuriki approached, taking the guise out of his father's right hand. The thing was heavier than he thought before, and he eyed the bowed black lines that shaped the face of a hawk with keen excitement. 'This is awesome.'

A step behind his Uzumaki comrade, Sasuke joined the receival; lifting the weighty item from his Kage's left hand. Looking it over, he observed in interest the sharply formed blue lines that depicted a wicked viper. Its fangs protruded out of the oval shape in two short spikes, similar to the tip of the hawk mask's beak.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." Naruto and Sasuke accepted, bowing before they returned to their previous positions. After a moment, the two jonin donned the masks to test how they felt; resisting the powerful urge to study one another.

"Behind you are two sets of standard Anbu armor. I want you to leave within thirty-six hours. Take that time to plan and prepare as you will." He commanded, making his way around his desk to stand before the shinobi squad. Looking passed the group, Minato called his humble subordinate. "Daisuke-san, locate Nohara Rin for me please. She and I must speak. As for you four, good luck. Return home safely."

"Yes sir!" the four elites acknowledged.

Vanishing from the room, both Anbu were absent for several milliseconds before the thrilled jonin grabbed their armor and leapt through the window in a slight haze of the air they fleetingly inhabited.

Highly self-aware, Sasuke and Naruto removed their masks as they departed. They would need to change and appear as certified Anbu before they trained with the true versions.

"We need to put this stuff on covertly." Sasuke declared in haste, viewing the whiskered jonin as he nodded.

"They seem to be waiting over there." Naruto observed, glancing in their new team mate's general direction. "Meet me with them in five?"

"Psh, way less than that." The Uchiha smirked, his dojutsu erupting in a crimson shine with a swirl of three tomoe. "You're not the only one who's fast!"

With a cunning grin the raven-haired shinobi disappeared, causing Naruto to chuckle before he teleported home to prepare himself.

 **12:07PM; Somewhere in Konoha**

It took a trivial two minutes for the youthful jonin to go to their respective homes, doff their old clothes and garb themselves in the new generic grey armor of the Black Ops variety. Using a small sealing technique, they falsified the signature spiral Anbu tattoos on their exposed left shoulders.

Naruto, knowing he could be of great use to the team with access to his Supply Gallery, rewrapped the fuinjutsu-laden bandages around his torso; covered under his black clothes and metal chest piece. He already missed the pulling weight of his seasoned cloak.

Arriving unseen in the gloom of a random alley, Naruto and Sasuke stood back to back in patience as they waited for their team mates to show themselves.

Slowly emerging from the shade in an alley across for them, the taller of the Black Ops duo motioned for them to follow. Doing so, the phantom group made their way to a secure location among the many trees on the outskirts of Konoha.

Landing on the highest branch of a thick oak after a few minutes, the small squad took a moment to look each other over.

'This is _so cool_!' the jinchuuriki thought to himself as his bright eyes scanned his best friend and new comrades. 'We look kickass as Anbu!'

Sasuke sensed his buddy's nearly palpable excitement, and couldn't help but smile under his fierce façade. Realizing once again the type of people he was amid, the Uchiha recomposed himself as he lifted a respectable solute to the unfamiliar shinobi, "Hello. I am Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto's hawk-like visage turned toward his black-haired counterpart briefly, swiftly realizing he was next in line for proper salutations. "And I am Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you."

The placid Anbu shared some sort of look before returning their attention to their new subordinates.

"My name is Yagiza." The shorter one said, her voice astoundingly pleasant with an air of danger about its resonance. Sasuke's hidden optics lingered on her longer than a moment.

"My name is Sasoriza." The male continued in his cool manner, bowing in unison with his partner. The younger men picked up on his apparent position as squad captain, since his authority all but saturated the space around him. "For the sake of this mission, please allow that to be the final time you use those names until we return."

"Of course, Sasoriza-taichou." Naruto and Sasuke accepted in complete understanding, bowing reverently.

"Uzumaki, your codename is 'Shugeki'. Uchiha, yours is 'Borei.'" He continued, issuing the names with open palmed gestures. "Now that the formalities have concluded, we need to discuss strategy and plan out our mission; considering all possible fail-safes."

Sasuke, now known as Borei, caught the hawk's subtle questioning tilt. He knew the Uzumaki, now called Shugeki, was hinting at their current location and the obvious delicacy of the current topic.

"Captian, should we find somewhere private? He – Shugeki and I have several secure locations to offer." The undercover Uchiha inquired, curious to discover the potentially obvious answer.

"No one is near." Yagiza informed tactfully, lifting a seemingly delicate hand to motion at whatever her mask hid. "I am watching, no need to worry. Thank you for asking, however."

The viper masked shinobi simply nodded in polite understanding, "Byakugan?" Yagiza nodded in kind, looking up at Sasoriza.

"Sharingan." The wolf masked Uchiha revealed next, making a gesture like the kunoichi's with his right hand. "Since all four of us have a history of working with both dojutsu, I feel Hokage-sama was, again, correct in his estimation of our potential."

"Again, taichou?" Shugeki asked, blinking his blue eyes behind the fearsome hawk visage.

"Sasoriza and I were assembled by Hokage-sama as well. Based on our files, he suspected we would work well together," the single woman elaborated with a degree of pride under her words, continuing gracefully, "and we do."

The viper and hawk looked toward one another, grinning wildly under their masks before Borei provided an open hand for Shugeki to grasp ardently; broadly revealing their deep comradery.

"We do really well ourselves." Borei admitted, amusement reaching his voice as he spoke. Reeling in his outstretched hand, the viper faced his captains. "Yagiza-senpai, what sort of Hyuga techniques do you know?"

"Well since you are likely asking in relation to Hyuga Hinata, I am certain she may know everything I do or more." The boar masked kunoichi enlightened, recalling memories from many years prior. She was witness to the small byakugan princess and the training the little girl endured with her punitive father. "Tutelage under Hyuga Hiashi is intense, though he is the head of our clan and therefore bears the most knowledge of our secret jutsu."

"What about you, Borei?" Sasoriza asked in turn, addressing his younger clansman. "What have you been taught in that group with your brother and the other two?"

"We've learned more about the sharingan, as well as the secrets it withholds." He responded, eyeing his avian friend through the round holes in his mask. "He and I haven't gotten a chance to work with what I've learned."

"I see." The captain nodded, ever placid in his attitude. "We will discover what you learned together… To start, let us begin with the terrain and how we'll traverse the Sand's expansive desert. Then we can address our plan to invade and survey their military strength. Once we finish the easy part, we will need a plan to locate and study the Ichibi jinchuuriki…"

 **4:19PM; Konoha Infirmary**

Strolling dazedly down the hall, a woman with shoulder-length brunette hair made her way to the room that held her mortally wounded student. Rounding the corner, Nohara Rin's hazel eyes found her other two students in a rigid discussion.

'Damn, Minato was right.' The elder kunoichi accredited in thought as she neared, quickly noticed by the perturbed youths. 'She _is_ pissed.' "Hey you two."

"Is he going to let you come or not?" Kiken interrogated gruffly, allowing no form of filter to cover her ill mood. "If you can't, then keep walking."

Even Unzari, who appeared to be in a similar mood, gave her a look of abated alarm. However, the fanged girl did not see as her full attention was fixated on her teacher's follow-up response.

"…Yes." Rin answered abruptly, hands on her hips as she stared down into Kiken's eyes. "You can stop being like that now."

The girl's expression softened as her wish was fulfilled, helping her see passed the sweltering energy under her skin. She had been quite rude to several people and she recognized it. Minato's words from hours earlier about her temper rang within her mind.

"I'm sorry." Kiken apologized after a few moments. Unzari and Rin waited with baited breath due to anxiety surrounding her response. She began to tremble, shaking her head slowly, "I shouldn't have been a bitch. I was just mad that you and Minato-sama were right about me and that I'm a danger without Yume…and I'm so very ss-sad about her, and afraid that I can't do anything f-for her and I…I just, I don't know what to do. I didn't mean to…"

The two taller agents watched in real time as the fire-proof warrior crumbled to the floor, breaking down into tears as she covered her face; lost within the soft emerald mass that encased her horned head.

Kneeling beside her as soon as she collapsed, Unzari enclosed the depressed soldier within his thick arms. Murmuring reassurance into her pointed ear, Rin joined them slowly. Resting on her knees, the calming woman comforted them as she did her best to wrap both arms around her despairing students…

 **6:33PM; Yamanaka Clan District**

She had missed this. Delicate hands in the cool soil as she tenderly made room for another kosumosu seedling. Sweat beaded down her temple as she worked under the sun, dirty and alone with her long platinum hair pinned up. She wore simple clothing such as a tight working bra and black shorts as she toiled in the warm evening.

Her tanned skin glistened as she pat the earth, making certain the fledgling was thoroughly tucked in. Standing, the Yamanaka observed the fruits of her labor; soaking in the glory of her ever-expanding garden.

Rubbing her forehead with a muddied arm, she was aware of the man approaching behind her before she could make her way to the watering pail. She turned, not realizing she had wiped dirt onto her face.

"Ino, you have guests." A man of similar familial qualities as the woman he addressed informed. Bowing out of respect for his clanmate, the dirty blonde civilian motioned with a grin to his head before he took his leave as two new shinobi neared from behind him.

"Oh, hey guys." The perspiring woman waved, using a handy cloth to remove the smudge from her smiling face as they arrived. She was disappointed at the interruption, but only temporarily as she had yet to see the shirtless boy for several days and was always ready to entertain the shoeless girl. "What's up?"

"Hi Ino-chan!" Kiken greeted exuberantly, eagerly hugging her fellow kunoichi despite the filth that covered her.

"Hey." Unzari waved in return, coming to a stop before his partner got herself covered in dirt from jumping on the blonde woman. Subtly abashed, he continued, "We're actually going on a mission together."

"Yeah, and we wanted to ask if you'd take care of Yume-chan." The Ryu ninja explained nicely, making sure to keep the mood light. "Just until we get back. Drag your team mates and Neji down too! She'd enjoy the company."

"Also, see if you can bring Lee. I heard he got back from his little 'quest', and it would be healthy for her." The ice user added cryptically, arms locked across his chest as he did his best not to inspect the Yamanaka's shiny wet body. "It'd mean a lot to her, and us too."

"Well duh, of course silly." Ino accepted, smiling wonderfully and with great amusement at their persuasion. "I love that tall lady; I'll make sure she has plenty of company while you're away. Does she know?"

Unzari had stolen a glance at her toned, gleaming figure as she spoke. His violet eyes were wreathed in awe as they absorbed the sight in acute fascination. Just as he looked up, he found her lively, aquatic eyes gazing into him. Unsure if he was caught or not, he simply answered as if he'd been observing the flowerbed behind her.

"Yes." He answered in a daze, realizing swiftly that more information should be provided, "Yeah, uh, we told her just before we came looking for you. We leave tomorrow morning, so after we stop by her room we'll head back out there."

"Back?" the psychic soldier questioned, curious if her line of thinking was correct. "You mean back to the Land of Iron?"

"Mhm, we're going to recon the oni (demon) Samurai. Oh! Sorry, you don't know. When we continued we found this weird place in a mountain and it had weirder corridors with prisoners in awful conditions. So while we investigated, this mean lady in an oni mask shows up and is all 'Grr, you can't be down here!' So we follow her out, and Naruto jumps in front of her and defends us against some mean thing she said and she calls him ugly up close, so he goes all jinchuuriki fire-man on her which puts her in her place. Then he reels it in and we come back home through his fancy fuinjutsu." Kiken cleared, sinking her toes into the healthy, grassy earth. "That's the basics anyway. But Rin is accompanying us too, so we'll be fine."

"Well…alright, take care you two." Ino accepted evenly, graciously enjoying another hug from the horned shinobi as the white-haired man waved again upon their departure. "Don't worry about Yume-chan, okay? Be safe!"

The remaining members of Team Rin flashed a couple farewell smiles as they parted from the Yamanaka's garden, disappearing behind one of the several buildings surrounding her colorful flower utopia.

 **End**

* * *

 **What a time to be alive.**

 **Feelin' the groove lately.**

 **How about you pals?**

 **-Kyzer-**


	21. Partial Assemblage

**19**

 **-Partial Assemblage-**

* * *

 **Friday, 7:19AM; Unzari's Apartment**

Waking abruptly, two violet eyes flashed open in a daze of surprise and confusion. The white-haired man lifted himself upright in his sizeable bed, steadying his quickened breath awhile before rubbing some sleep from his face with both hands. He grew agitated, waking harshly and more than a half hour before his alarm was to ring. After a few still moments filled with the faint inhales and exhales of his breathing, Unzari collapsed to his back once more.

Feeling irritated and edgy, he deemed the pursuit of sleep to be fruitless. The Yuki clan member summed it up as simple misfortune, abandoning the comfort of his covers to ready himself.

After a steaming shower, Unzari realized he was provided with extra time to prepare a solid breakfast for himself. Doing so, he made quick work of the meal; easily quaffing the boiled eggs, toasted rye and sliced mango with high gusto. Cleaning up afterward, the young man made to arm himself for his expedition.

Entering his bedroom down the hall on the right, he continued to his dark, oak wood wardrobe. Finally equipping himself with undergarments and durable but featureless black sweats, the ice user began the task of taping a kunai holster to his right thigh before donning his protective black boots, also wrapping his pants down at the ankles with the white bindings. Eyeing his noir Konoha headband, Unzari grasped it and closed the wardrobe, tying the symbol onto his left arm between the bicep and deltoid. Turning, his sights fell upon a long staff of divine quality.

The chakra conducting Infinity Staff, dubbed Mugenbo, is the pale weapon bestowed upon the muscular shinobi by Kiken as a gift for achieving his status among the ranks of the jonin. It rested in contrasting serenity against the rugged cabinet as his mind wandered. Lifting the ivory, weighted staff in his hands the shinobi inspected his weapon as he drifted deep in thought.

The unbreakable staff was nearly two meters long and made of the material excavated from an adult dragon's bony horn. Precisely sculpted, the six-centimeter-thick staff had smooth, slowly twirling indentations on the heavier, slightly rounded bottom-end with a grooved texture around the center for enhanced grip. The apex of the elegant armament, however, was dotted with six swirling cavities that created a vortex network of space that stretched twenty-five centimeters from the top. This partly cavernous section of Mugenbo made it possible for Unzari's chilled chakra to seep inside, allowing him to mold and create an infinite number of modifications to the surprisingly heavy, indestructible weapon.

Regaining his whereabouts, he snatched a cumbersome black leather belt from its place hanging on the wall to the right of his wardrobe. The shirtless ninja tucked Mugenbo under his right arm as he strapped the belt across his bare chest and back diagonally from his left shoulder down to the adjacent ribs. Positioning the silver buckle at his shoulder, Unzari returned the staff to his palm as he exited his apartment before sliding the weapon through the belt across his back, looking off in thought as he sauntered toward a rendezvous.

'…Oh Yume…'

 **7:28AM; Lifted Ryu Residence**

Flowing winds played with a bundle of plush, verdant hair as it gently woke a restful woman. The cuddled girl sank deeper into her soft covers, sluggishly opening her azuline eyes. The draconic shinobi squinted before stretching the length of her body, casting her quilt aside with a dangerous fang-filled yawn. Unmounting the knob of silk acting as her mattress, Kiken stepped tenderly onto a ray of light entering through her gaping window.

The woman's spacious home was made of expertly designed and grown wood that ran fluidly without seams. This natural style pleased the dragon-horned one as she desired the purity of nature and security of the earth and trees it provided. The stairs rising from her bedroom were smoothed over and rounded in a vertical wave-like fashion, flowing to the upper level where the Ryu clanmate kept her sort of dining and kitchen area.

This section was made of a thick, smooth wooden table against the far wall that flowed elegantly from the floor which offered four dual-seating benches. In the corner to the right was a divot laden with stone and gravel directly under a raised cooking pot. The broad, smooth staircase dissipated into the second floor but continued around the corner and along the left wall, clinging to it as the steps rose toward the ceiling. Following the rise, Kiken opened the heavy horizontal door at the height of the flowing steps, reaching her roof. She quickly began to collect fallen twigs and branches for her cooking spit to prepare breakfast. When she was satisfied with the amount of firewood she gathered, the huntress went on a rushed run to a small ravine near her home where she drank the fresh water, caught several fish and picked wild berries.

Returning home, Kiken started preparing two of the carp she caught on the rotisserie, adding smoked spices and salt from several clay jars. Finally pulling the fish from the flaming spit, they were still sizzling as she bit into one of them; effortlessly slicing the roasting flesh with her wicked teeth. The scorching meat was null against her mouth, along with the pile of red coals she rested her tiny feet atop.

Recovering a small wheel of cheese from the cupboard right of her cooking corner, the pointy eared ninja sat herself at her table, lazily eating the meal she procured. Humming as she finished the rest of her berries, the green haired girl rose to tidy her charming kitchen. After some time, she was satisfied with her neatness and made to ready herself for a mission with three fourths of her original genin team.

Following the rounded stairs down toward her bedroom, the jonin approached her closet and chose her signature leaf-green fireproof dress with its detachable white petticoat. Slipping into the comfortable garments, Kiken equipped a small utilities pouch onto her left leg. Closing the double-doored cabinet, something metal clanged against the floor just before she shut the compartment. Gracefully snatching the item, her icicle eyes recognized the scorched remains of her Konoha forehead protector. Placing the useless item on her nightstand, the girl opened a drawer where her new headband awaited. Lifting the small, custom made band with both hands, Kiken tied the aberrant, metal laden cloth snugly around her neck.

Content with herself, the horned ninja deftly leapt from her open window. Landing on a large tree branch, she jumped to another lower arm before diving off onto the ground six meters below. Both branches, as well as the landing area, were eroded from constant use.

Strolling from the woods, the bright woman followed a rural path that gradually crept into Konoha's residential districts. Making her way toward her rendezvous, Kiken kept her mind busy as she hummed a song from her childhood meant for warm, joyous occasions.

 **7:56AM; Miscellaneous Sector**

Mild chatter filled the air around a woman as she sipped her black tea in the cool shadow of a wide umbrella. Gently kicking her crossed leg up and down, she peeked one of her students through the sparse crowd of pedestrians.

Unmistakable malachite hair bobbed about as a jonin sifted through civilians in a dancelike fashion toward her. "Good morning, senpai!" Kiken greeted with a friendly smile, fluently joining the brunette shinobi at the rounded lunch table. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Good morning Kiken. I haven't waited at all yet since you're early. I'm simply enjoying this lovely morning before we depart on our long journey." Rin responded nicely as she delicately set her teacup down.

"About that." A strong male voice drawled out torpidly, casting a shadow around the sitting ladies. "We have good news; Naruto will be assisting us with transportation."

"Is that right?" the eldest among the trio asked coyly, grinning as she turned her face-painted visage left and up as her largest student dragged a chair to sit before them; drawing and propping his weapon up against his seat. "Good morning to you too, Unzari."

Leeching her teacher's drink, the petit kunoichi giggled and greeted her team mate before backing his claim. "Hey Unzari. So yes, our foxy friend will be transporting us with one of the teleporty-thingies that he left back over there."

The snowy haired ninja nodded, "Yeah, but there's an issue. Naruto only left two markers and they're not exactly in the best positions."

"His help is appreciated but what's wrong with the locations?" Rin asked, pulled from her relaxed state as she leaned in with interest.

"One's underwater and the other is in some top-secret dungeon the Samurai use as an experimentation chamber or something. There were master traps before, but I'm sure it's heavily defended by this 'Commander Akaike' and her guard now." Unzari explained calmly with his arm propped around his staff. "Clearly the latter is a shitty choice, but they also guard their border rigorously. So now we need to figure out how to not drown or get caught reaching their shores."

"We could use Quitu." Kiken stated purely, as if that was the sole, apparent solution all along.

"Kiken, Quitu is not exactly inconspicuous…" Rin countered, curious as to how her student's brilliant mind came up with such a solution. "Her chakra signature alone could draw attention to us. Plus, how would she even carry us?"

"In her mouth. You know the Samurai aren't as attuned to sensing energy as we are and she can conceal her chakra just fine anyway. Once we arrived she would swim away, fly up into the sky and over the clouds. Then she would drop us. As low as possible, of course." The horned woman explained easily, fiddling absentmindedly with the frill of her white petticoat.

"Okay, but what about Naruto?" Unzari questioned logically, stumping his small friend. "Do we know if he can move something that big?"

"I'm not so certain that size plays a factor, but it's a notable question nonetheless." Rin hypothesized, rising to her feet. "Maybe the blondie will know what to do."

"Well we might as well consult him now before he's all busy on his fancy Anbu mission." Kiken offered congruently, standing up alongside her team mates. "I'm sure Naruto will be able to solve this problem with us. He _is_ a genius, after all."

 **8:16AM; Uzumaki Residence**

"You want me to WHAT?" a whiskered man asked in astounded disbelief with his mouth slightly ajar and a hand scratching his wild golden locks. His eyes were squinty with the tug of slumber.

"Is her size an issue after all...?" the horned woman enquired with reserved expectations, worry seeping into her tone.

"I'm not sure exactly… Teleporting is different than summoning, but I've also never had to transport anything much larger than a person. Frankly I think it's a bad idea to experiment with something so massive, so I suggest you just summon her after you get over there. Although, I don't know how deep that part of the water is." Naruto thought aloud, leaning against his archway wearily. "If there was a way to shield you then do the transfer that might work."

"Yeah, maybe Kiken or I could use doton (Earth Release) ninjutsu to encase us in a protective shield? Then Quitu could carry us?" Rin offered, gauging the thoughtful shinobi as her idea sunk in.

"…Well why don't I just use hyoton? That way the ice shell will melt in Quitu's mouth and she won't have to deal with a bunch of rocks in her teeth." Unzari offered kindly, prompting the women to nod in agreement. Their exchanges made Naruto grin.

"Perfect!" Kiken exclaimed, excitedly throwing two small fists into the air. Settling herself with pent exhilaration, she quickly bit her thumb open and slapped the ground.

A plume of white smoke burst before her and a slender, angular featured dragon appeared. After a couple of seconds, it lifted itself; standing on its hind legs as it blew the mist away with a flap of its leathery, taloned wings.

The beast had brilliant, thoughtful lime eyes whose pupils closed into vertical slits due to the bright morning sun. Its rosy colored scales were glossy and lightly plated excluding a trail of white bony horns that flowed from the back of its skull down its long tail. Reviewing the crowd around it, the creature eyed its summoner as it shifted its weight on the knuckles of its wings.

"Greetings Kiken-sama." the small wyvern hailed respectfully in a deep, gruff voice that contrasted his smooth, dapper demeanor. Turning his head, he puffed smoke from his thin nostrils before addressing the rest of the shinobi, "Hello companions."

The group waved familiarly in return. All but Naruto, who was unaccustomed to Kiken's rare comrade and revered the dragon with awe.

"Good morning Endeem-san!" she responded happily, kneeling before her scaly cohort who approached and allowed her to embrace his lean, muscular neck. "Can you please inform Quitu-sama that I will be summoning her to escort my team out of an ocean. Oh, and please include that we'll be in a protective ice barrier shield, thing."

"I will inform her right away." Endeem responded deeply, bowing his bony skull before returning eye contact to his horned summoner with a flicker of his tongue. "Good luck."

"Thank you." Kiken said tenderly before the agile creature vanished identically to its arrival. Standing, she quickly turned toward the Uzumaki in anticipation. "So, are you ready?"

"Yeah, heh- wow. In a second, just let me focus my chakra." The jinchuuriki said with a yawn at the end, stretching before he sat down in a meditative state. The shadow soldier was not currently battle ready and wanted to be certain that he sent the team to the correct marker of the hundreds that existed. "…Go ahead and build your shield thing." He offered after a few sluggish moments.

"Yosh." Unzari uttered with a resounding clap of his thick hands, rubbing them together as he stepped toward a more open section of Naruto's lawn. "Hyoton: Hyogaheki (Ice Release: Glacial Barrier)."

A stream of bizarre liquid-like ice jetted out three centimeters from the shinobi's palms. The beam collided with the ground as he made a small base before walking toward his construction, bringing his arms up and around him. He built a small enclosure while saving enough room to fit three people with a space to enter. Unzari turned and gestured nonchalantly at the transparent yet warped icy creation. "There you go, ready when you are ladies."

"Awesome Unzari, and thank you Naruto-kun!" the fanged kunoichi expressed, prancing to hug the jinchuuriki before entering the frigid cavity.

"Thanks Naruto, we'll see you soon." Rin acknowledged in kind, following her student toward the subzero boulder.

"You're welcome, be careful." Naruto offered with sincerity, standing with a certain fire in his eyes as the team waved him farewell.

Unzari sealed the chilly barrier with another gush of frozen chakra. Approaching, Naruto laid a single hand on the roughly spherical ice. The slick, cold exterior quickly began its frostbite on him.

A mere second passed before the jinchuuriki's pressed hand was relinquished from the frosty surface, falling slightly as the shielded team was teleported far away, deep underwater in a lightless flash.

Reviewing the ground where Unzari had placed his ice, Naruto noticed the grass beneath had been completely destroyed. Shrugging to himself, the elite returned inside.

Stretching as he walked, the Uzumaki made it to the bathroom and cleansed himself of his drowsiness with a hot shower. Drying off, the young jonin glanced at his hung cloak as he dressed himself in the armored guise of Konoha's Anbu.

Returning to his restroom, the temporary Anbu faced himself in the mirror with a white object in his palms. He thoughtlessly ran his fingers over the inside of his fresh identity, noting the seamless texture as he traced the eye holes.

He took the time to review his tan features before finally staring into his deep blue eyes. He thought to himself for a long moment before regarding the curved, heavy disguise in his hands. Slowly, Naruto took a breath and brought the porcelain hawk mask to his face, completing the transformation into his Anbu form.

Nodding at his new appearance, Shugeki shut down his utilities before departing the comfortable confines of his grand abode.

 **8:34AM; Anbu Training Grounds – Central Hall**

First to arrive, the hawk rested against a southeast wall of the polygonal room. Shugeki pondered the mission ahead as he waited patiently for the rest of his team to arrive, going over concerns he retained about his sister and parents in the event of his passing. The blonde had some desired time to himself since the elder Anbu scheduled their meeting for nine o'clock sharp. He preferred being early, especially since he knew he was constantly under inspection in the presence of the commanding jonin.

Random Anbu passed the stilled jinchuuriki one by one, sometimes in squads as they made for the training grounds or confidential strategy rooms. Finally, he noticed a figure whose trajectory was aimed at him from across the entrance. Eyeing the fanged mask, he found it to be his closest friend.

"Morning Shugeki." The viper masked Uchiha greeted, approaching before the two clasped hands in a bland manner; subtly attempting to rid themselves of superficial quirks and nuances in pursuit of professional Anbu neutrality.

"What's up Borei." The whiskered man met before the sharingan user took his place against the wall beside him. Some time passed before either of them moved. They each knew the other was nervous and somewhat excited to begin their high-risk mission.

"…I wonder if we're going to fight them today…" Borei supposed aloud, mulling over the desire to throw down with such menacing allies. Eventually rejecting the idea, he shook his head at the ground in thought.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Shugeki shrugged as he gestured toward an upcoming duo. They had gone unnoticed for some time and were upon them in seconds.

"Yes, you will be fighting us today." The masked female announced with an unmistakable hint of amusement in her voice. Even as the smallest among them she stood with stately confidence and exalted poise. Yagiza leaned on one leg with a hand on her hip as she surveyed the younger men, scanning them for notes of fear or intimidation. She found none.

"But first, we are going to iron out our plan and make sure there are no doubts. We need to succeed for the good of the village, but just as importantly we cannot fail for the sake of our lives." The biggest among them informed, his stoic wolf visage looked them over as he folded his arms. "What I mean is failure equals death. There is no option other than the cold embrace if you come inescapably close to losing your cover. So we must succeed for ourselves as much as for our country's intelligence."

A unanimous affirmation greeted Sasoriza's ears before he turned to lead them into a secured boardroom. On the way, he handed them each one capsule. He continued his stride, "Those are suicide capsules. Attach them under a tooth and simply bite down on it if you're caught. You'll be killed in seconds as the poison dissolves through your stomach and seeps into your bloodstream before disintegrating your cardiovascular system. It takes only a moment to liquefy your brain, so one could say it's relatively painless."

Entering the soundproof room, Yagiza and Sasoriza turned to address Borei and Shugeki. They gestured for them to approach, then Yagiza reached up to place her hand in a unique position on the blonde's temple and forehead while the other men followed suit.

"I am placing a seal on you, Shugeki." The kunoichi informed as she held her left hand to his head, holding up a sign with her right. A rapid series of symbols appeared over the jinchuuriki's body, glowing before thoroughly disappearing. Sasoriza mirrored her with Borei. "A death seal. It is activated by complete, irrevocable fatality, and it is now attached to your chakra network. If you die with this seal your body will be destroyed so the enemy cannot harness the information from your corpse… Shugeki. To the Leaf, you are the most important member of our squad as the carrier of the Kyuubi. I trust you will not fail."

"Yes ma'am!" Shugeki answered firmly, standing straight as Yagiza took a step back. The woman sounded incredibly sincere in her mention of faith. Regardless, the Uzumaki was spooked by the boar's description of his potential deathly failure. To his credit, none of the other ninja were able to perceive his strife.

"Now, let us review." Sasoriza sighed with a shred of levity, pleased with the strength of his new team members. Sitting on one of the dozen chairs placed at the long oval table, his boar masked comrade took a seat beside him. Borei and Shugeki took their seats across from the elder ninja.

The wolf procured a map that detailed Konoha's border with Suna, and another map with a surprisingly detailed layout of Suna's hidden village. There were random notes made by the Anbu concerning guard schedules, possibly unreliable intel, windows with low visibility and other such field notes.

Yagiza pointed at a hand-drawn dotted line, speaking calmly and somewhat softly despite the safety of their location; beginning their final discussion of their firm yet dangerous tactic. "Here is where we will travel to survive the trip undetected nearing the Village Hidden in the Sand…"

 **End**

* * *

 **Plumbusses. Everyone has a Plumbus in their home.**

 **Updates are roughly 1 Chapter per 3 Months.**

 **Guys it's so cool, I've been doing a lot of writing.**

 **Original writing. I'm on my third significant short story!**

 **I've had a fantasy novel in the works for some time now, and all this is in preparation for world-wide recognition as a published author. You heard it here first, the code is "Kosnim".**

 **Stay happy and healthy friends!**

 **Quark particles.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	22. Split Departure

**20**

 **-Split Departure-**

* * *

 **8:19AM; Land of Iron – Oceanic Territory**

Light was sucked from the world in an abrupt warp of space-time. Everything had become black and frozen, rapidly growing colder within the tomb of ice which gently sank with a thud into the sandy seafloor. Their skin had begun to frost over as the conditions proved to be treacherous for the Konoha native, nearly succumbing to hypothermia in the stark darkness.

Aside from anxious breaths, all that could be heard was a slicing of flesh and the small pat of someone's hand before a great thunderous bubbling rocked the glacial vessel. The silent triad suddenly felt a monstrous presence in the water around them. A moment of placidity passed before their protective barrier was lifted with a swift yet terrible force that began to accelerate rapidly.

They ascended in a tornadolike pattern, climbing in a column toward the sky. After several rumbling moments, a soft crash racked the team as Kiken's summon aggressively broke the water's surface. Free of liquid drag, the winged creature gained momentum at a fierce pace.

The fluid in the cavity began to drain as a slippery barrier in the back of the throat shifted. After most of the sea water was channeled out, a faint light painted pinkish red glows through the ice as they tried to make out the details of their transport.

The light erupted forth in a torrential flash of flame before settling back to its original soft glow. Another gust of fire thinned the last of the ice as it melted away, finally breaking under Rin's shaky fist.

A sweltering wave of humid air rushed over the squad as they fell out onto the slick and rough texture of a massive forked tongue. A muscly flap lifted in the back of the dragon's hot throat, shutting the entry to its esophagus as the team slid with its inertia into the beast's palatal valve.

Stuck in the back of the firebreather's mouth, a wicked smell of smoke and flesh filled their nostrils as they were freed from their frigid protection.

A jagged break appeared before them that allowed light and fresh wind to rush into the wet cavity with the beast opening its ferocious jaws. The renewed air was well received, and Rin was quickly revitalized by the heated nature of their current environment.

"Thanks, Quitu-sama!" Kiken exclaimed loudly, eliciting a great thundering from the dragon's chest. The group repositioned themselves to the front of Quitu's great maw, each hanging on to a separate toothy stalagmite. "Please drop us off wherever you feel is right!"

A shorter, more abrupt grumble was emitted by Quitu as her flying gradually smoothed into a glide above the feathery clouds of the low stratosphere. It was a beautiful, tranquil sight as the four of them overlooked an astounding expanse of soft white caressed with faint hues of orange against the bold, blue sky.

Many placid moments glossed by before the slight pull of decent made itself known to the unit. Observing in blissful interest, the ivory earth came their way in haste.

Quitu huffed, lowering her bottom jaw; widely spreading her fangs apart. She raised two immense front claws to her mouth as she soared. The trio immediately understood, hurriedly climbing into her taloned grasp. The wicked winds of turbulence pounded them as they descended into a hefty accumulation of low clouds.

Unable to see anything in the blinding whiteness provided by the cumulus, the group was suddenly greeted with a view of their destination as Quitu extended nothing but her front claws from the bottom of the cloud formation.

"This is it." Kiken muttered, drawing the wide-eyed attention of her uneasy team mates. It was exceedingly abnormal for humans to be so far from the ground, and the Yuki clanmate did not appreciate heights.

A silent guardian, Quitu was unseen in the whitish haze of their visual cover. Her grip tightened for a moment before her deep, mellifluous growl was heard over the howling gust. "Be safe."

Released from the security of Quitu's lethal talons, the ninja were thrown into freefall, zooming toward the snow-covered earth at worrisome velocities. Unzari immediately began a panicked spray of snow, only to realize their speed nulled the accumulation of his frosty chakra blasts. Struggling and anxious, he swore to himself in the winds.

Funneling his excited chakra, Unzari maneuvered his flight and grabbed his companions who thankfully grasped onto him.

Removing his staff from the leather across his back, the ice user siphoned his chakra into the conductive weapon. Holding Mugenbo vertically, he created extensions the like of icy wings which spread far from the spine of the design.

Slowly, Unzari used the solid ice handle to turn their vertical descent into a horizontal glide. They reached a safe distance before long and Kiken leapt from the sky to fall a mere thirty meters to the fluffy ground.

The white-haired shinobi watched his team leader follow suit, splashing into the loose snow with a thump. Tossing the makeshift glider, Unzari did the same. Comically sinking several meters into the frost, he chuckled to himself fretfully before scrambling to the surface. Rin was already out on his right, equipping the team with the snowshoes they brought in a light supply bag she carried.

The shirtless soldier slung the Infinity Staff back into its sheath as he clamored through the powder. Regrouped once more, the squad equipped themselves for the local terrain before allocating their position and setting off toward the secret and hostile Marble Hall.

 **8:35PM; Anbu Infirmary**

"Ugh, man…" Sasuke complained, shifting under the healing light glowing from a young nurse's palms. The medic wore a white mask that covered his nose and mouth as he dutifully operated on his second patient. "I'm surprised she hit you with that, Nah- er, Shugeki…"

"Yeah- so am I." the blonde patient agreed irritably as he threw his legs over the left side of his cot to face the Uchiha. Rolling his left shoulder with a small, winced grunt, he continued. "Yagiza-senpai is scary. Plus, I'm pretty sure we can guarantee she was holding back. Agh. Thank you, Tadao-san. I'm surprised you healed everything already."

"No need for thanks, Shugeki-san. Your body is strong." The bronze haired man stated, more familiar than some Anbu behaved. Possibly due to providing personal care to the heavily injured agents off and on throughout the day. Sweat beaded down into his darkish-red beard as he kneaded Sasuke's abdomen with ninjutsu. "Borei-san, you will be ready in approximately ten minutes. I am mending the microfibers of your inner muscles, rest assured."

"Take your time, Tadao-san, seriously. Take your time." The previously burned Sasuke heeded with a painful chuckle. "Wouldn't wanna stitch my muscles into my intestines or anything."

Tadao's eyes widened a hairsbreadth as he continued to lend chakra into the pale soldier, laughing as he noticed the two patients were holding their breath in anticipation. "No, of course not."

"Oh," was all that came from the Uchiha as Naruto let out an obnoxious chortle at his comrade's expense.

"Ahahah! Man, your face! Ha!" Shugeki bellowed, holding his forehead in amusement before rising to dress himself. "Heheh, ohh damn. Alright, I'm gonna get dressed and meet you back with the others."

"I thought we were done?!" the Viper Anbu asked incredulously, arms raised in upward protest.

"Well we are, they just asked us to meet back at the entrance, remember?" Naruto enlightened, greeted with a reassured nod; waving before making his departure. "Good, heh, see you down there."

 **8:52PM; Anbu Training Grounds**

The entry hall was comparatively empty for this hour, significantly due to the Hokage's tightening of Konoha's borders. This left a lifeless feel to the usually bustling training department, little to the young shinobi's notice as they did not frequent the specialized arena.

Two figures awaited the newly healed ninja, masked and ready to depart on what might possibly be their final assignment.

Turning to face their subordinates, the canine captain lifted a palm in humble greetings. "You two look well. I am glad Tadao-san could patch your abdomen, Borei."

"I am sorry about your shoulder, Shugeki." the Hyuga offered, concealing concern from her body language but allowing a morsel to penetrate her tone. "I was aiming for your spine. However, you are quite fast." The boys could have sworn she was grinning under her porcelain.

"Thanks, Yagiza… Appreciate it." the avian shinobi accepted gracelessly, rubbing the back of his head. "I knew you two were strong but I guess it doesn't matter 'til you experience it, ya know?"

"Speaking of which, we have been deeply impressed by you two and your ability to work together. Your teamwork is quite a sight." Sasoriza complimented, folding his arms. "But we were also disappointed you did not give us your all."

"Sir, let's not pretend like you were going all-out either." Borei added haughtily, crossing his own arms in a challenging manner, tempted to flash his sharingan. "Not that it matters, a full-on battle between us four could level Konoha."

His blonde partner nodded in eager agreement. "That'd be awesome."

"I do not doubt that for a second." the cell leader admitted with a tilt of his head. "… I believe we are ready. Equip yourselves and meet me at the southern gate. We will leave within the hour."

" _Yosh_!"

 **Hidden Location**

The quiet buzzing of electronic circuit boards filled a dim, dusty room with soft humming. The faint glow of rudimentary computer screens reflected off a pair of sleek sunglasses sitting firmly atop a faintly curved nose.

A distraught woman shifted solemnly as she studied heaps of information. The investigator wore a flak jacket – crudely reminiscent of Konoha's design, despite missing the iconic patches apparently stripped from the article. Underneath, she wore a one-piece made of ninja-mesh, with loose, black combat pants taped down at the ankles. The sleeves of her mesh nearly reached her elbows, and her left hand was wrapped in white bandages to the mid-forearm. The tattooed mark of an Anbu graced her shoulder beneath the outfit.

Gradually she noticed a sound. A faint thumping, prompting a tilt of her head as she calculated its veracity and direction. Settling on the conclusion that the steps were meant for her, she mentally prepared herself for whatever the man had to say. Or shout.

'Must be Hideo.' The shaded woman decided, shifting atop an uncomfortable steel folding chair. The rhythmic thumping was not rushed, but stern and harder than average. 'He's angry. Have I missed something…? Was there a breach?'

Composing herself, the seasoned kunoichi kept still as the grey door swung open quickly. Bright natural light flooded into the musky room, allowing much needed fresh air to penetrate the stagnant chamber. If not for her glasses the shinobi might have flinched.

Before her stood a thick man with manicured black hair and a full stubble-beard. The silhouette of his form exemplified the Uchiha's commanding aura as he laid dark eyes on her. He sighed indolently.

"Explain to me your purpose, Nara." The ominous veteran demanded politely, bearing a tone full of collected yet directed fury. "Why do we keep you?"

"To award the village with valuable up-to-date and accurate counter-intelligence, sir." The tactical subordinate responded, rising to answer the enquiry. "Specifically, minute-to-minute observations of the Leaf's movements, strategies and intel, sir."

"Very good." Hideo accepted with his coarse octave. Removing vascular arms from behind his back, he crossed them over his dense chest. "Now. What are the consequences for incompetence and treason?"

Hesitating for an instant, the Nara clan descendant felt her chest tighten as her blood chilled. "You will kill my family. Or more accurately, your spies will – before disposing of themselves afterward."

"Excellent. Quite straightforward – I've always liked that about you Yurina… and I apologize for the way things are right now." The tolerant Uchiha seemed to relax slightly, fully entering the room to lean against the wall facing his subordinate; his captive. "Your family doesn't need to die in the end, Yurina. Jutaro just needs to follow along. The destruction of the Leaf does not mean the death of your family. However, lack of cooperation _will_. So _tell_ _me_ why we were being tracked by a group of _jonin_ with _Kakashi_ and the _Hokage's fucking_ _heir_!?"

 **End**

* * *

 **Orisa's sitting emote is the fucking cutest thing I have ever witnessed in a game.**

 **My beautiful metal centaur protector baby.**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	23. Sunagakure

**21**

 **-Sunagakure-**

* * *

 **Saturday, 1:01PM; Sunagakure**

A hellish white sun raged over rolling miles of motionless, golden-orange sea. Mirages faded and morphed the skyline in every horizontal direction as the gusting wind swept up sand devils and dust storms. A group of nomads could be made out among the stinging wind, dutifully pulling their cart through the scorched grit.

It seemed they were headed for a hill. A slight bump gracing the horizon, raised merely a hairsbreadth from the surrounding terrain. From the ground it was completely indistinguishable from the rest of the horizon, greatly due to the heat mirage of the burning sand and cooler air.

Finally, they came upon their destination: a bowl of great cliffs with a single vertical crease about ten meters wide, curiously peppered with numerous shaded silhouettes. The approaching family was quickly greeted by two guards in off-tan, sleeveless flak jackets equipped with spaulders.

The tall man sized the group up, his brown eyes especially lingering on the females. Preferring to focus on the daughter, he eyed her down with appalling hunger. The girl merely looked away with a "Tch."

Her mother, on the other hand, glared at the pervert, seemingly prepared to take the shinobi's life.

"What's your business?" the shorter of the two finally asked, speaking over the wind through a cloth covering her mouth and nose. She squinted in the harsh light and began to shuffle with something at her thigh, but it went unseen. She appeared uncomfortable.

"Just here to visit my sister," the old man murmured, leaning against his walking stick as the breeze settled a degree. With a shaky hand the elder procured a document from a pocket among his traveling robes. "Hm, these are our papers. They should suffice, yes."

Receiving the files, the veteran guard looked over the papers for several long moments before returning them to their owner. "…Alright Hattori family, come on through, sorry for the holdup."

With that, the kunoichi shuffled near her thigh once more before making a gesture toward the gaping slit in the titanic rock formation. "Behave yourselves, now."

The exhausted travelers merely nodded thankfully as they trudged along into Sunagakure.

The village was comprised of frequent huddled, gourd and vase-shaped buildings strewn about asymmetrically, aside from the great walkways that crisscrossed the center of the village where the Kazekage's large rounded tower stood. These roads were eerily quiet and only held pockets of grouped citizens as opposed to bustling districts.

After some time, the young mother led her family down one of the southern paths, stopping to ask for directions occasionally. It took about an hour for the weathered group to arrive at the inn they had heard of, supposedly placed near the intended destination of their visit.

Arriving at the inn, it was the mother who handled this exchange for them; passing the clerk a modest amount of ryos for their stay. Graciously accepting the currency, the prepubescent worker bowed and awkwardly escorted them to their room.

It was small, and not ironically dusty. There were two beds and a couch which happened to be able to seat three people, if slender enough.

There was a small counter beside a humble refrigerator and an oval table pushed into the corner, apparently for dining. The Hattori daughter, who had been pulling their cart through the sand most of the journey, had left the wagon outside while she and her brother opted to bring their possessions up the stairs and indoors.

The elder promptly rested on the chair beside the cornered table to the left of the entryway while his daughter and grandchildren casually inspected their temporary living space.

There was a single window opposite of the front door and a single room for washing and toiletry on the left. The two beds were placed close together on the right and the couch sat below the rounded square window.

The walls were simple, unpainted, and matched the general sandy color of the rest of the village's neighborhoods and roads.

After peeking into the washroom, the mother looked toward her daughter and smiled before gazing out the window, lost in thought.

Casually, the teenage daughter sauntered into the washroom and closed the door. The muffled sound of her shower set a calm mood on the worn family.

The brother, obviously younger but larger than his sister, took a seat beside his grandfather; throwing both hands behind his head as he sunk in for a paired nap beside the snoring senior.

After a minute or so, the bathroom door opened wide. All eyes flashed and looked toward the figure wreathed in steam. Nowhere was the teenage girl to be found. In her place was a man dressed in black.

The room filled with smoke as the family ceased to exist. In their place was a team of Anbu, who dutifully began unpacking their true items from the faux luggage.

"Sound is muffled and our chakra is concealed within this room. However, the barrier works both ways. We'll need to be careful about how we sneak out," spoke the man in a hawk mask, ruffling his wet, blonde hair.

"Tonight we will go out into the village and perform our disguised soft recon like we planned," added another masked man, rising to put aside the walking stick he had been handling to retrieve a packet from their true baggage. "We will begin true investigation as soon as possible, depending on what we learn while we are out there."

"Borei was right, Shugeki. You do play a convincing girl," The woman in the boar mask commented, retrieving clothes for her later disguise.

"Uh huh…" Was all the jinchuuriki had to say as his partner chuckled.

"Yeah, I hear your protégé has started using that technique now too, huh Shugeki?" the Uchiha goaded, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Sexy-jutsu, was it?"

"Ugh, just shut up Sasukeul," Naruto retorted lamely, grabbing a bottle of water from their packs. "How long do you want to wait, captain?"

"An hour from now and we should henge again and begin," Sasoriza answered, rereading the intel Konoha has on Suna in the packet he retrieved. After a moment, he brought out a second copy and tossed it in Sasuke's lap. "Here, you two should study this together. It will help freshen your memory of this 'ally' we may soon cease to entertain."

After Sasoriza's team waited a suitable amount of time, the squad used transformation jutsu once again to portray their fictional family. Garbed in casual outfits instead of the traveling clothes they came in with, the agents calmly made their way into public.

During their time mingling with the foreign citizens of this neighboring country, the "Hattori family" made casual discussion and listened intently on the conversations around them as they went about.

After several hours of this shallow reconnaissance wandering between public districts, the fading sun began to sink behind the towering village walls. This orange and red que sought to bring phase one of their mission to a conclusion.

But among the comments of the Kazekage and withering social state of the relatively small village were whispers and dialogs mentioning his heirs; known as the Kazekage Clan due to the family's hold on the hierarchy. Among the rumors drifted a common theme concerning their ties to a "Demonic Weapon."

It was a group of ninja at a nearby pub who discussed the delicate topic. Sasoriza, the faux elder, nonchalantly broke from the family feint and squatted at the bar to secure the valuable spout of information.

All their murmurs indicated that the jinchuuriki in question, Gaara of the Sand, the youngest son of the Fourth and current Kazekage, Rasa, was becoming increasingly unstable. Talk was that Gaara had been placed under a motion to be auctioned off in order to relieve Suna of a decades-long curse.

Moving on once the source ran dry, many hours of meticulous nonchalant eavesdropping continued before it became apparent that details of the village's "Weapon" was mainly withheld from the public.

However, it seemed that the mad jinchuuriki was held securely near the Kage and many expert warriors with the hopes of containing his next outburst.

Once it became obvious the team reached the extent of knowledge to gain from this gentle espionage they made their way slowly back to their room.

Finally hidden within Naruto's fuinjutsu barriers, the Konoha Anbu revealed their true selves and immediately began an open discussion on the intel they gathered together.

"I'm a little surprised we got so much out of these disguises," Borei started off, standing aside as Yagiza and Sasoriza entered the confined space. "What's next?"

"Seems like the Kazekage Clan is still pretty dysfunctional…" Shugeki recounted, flashing back four years to the time he and Killer Bee had visited to try and teach Gaara and his Shukaku the art of symbiosis. A memory that turned into a nightmare as several were killed when Gaara lost control and the fatal rampage of his bijuu was cut short by the stable, foreign jinchuuriki. It was the most obvious fissure in the Leaf's relationship with this westward neighbor.

"Deeper intelligence on Gaara is going to be difficult to ascertain," Sasoriza announced, cutting to the chase quite sharply. "Infiltrating the Kazekage's domain to learn about Suna's 'weapon' covertly is going to test all of our skills. We must be prepared for anything to go wrong."

"We will spend the next few hours in preparation," the wolf continued, pacing in thought as he spoke. The others simply settled into their positions and listened intently. "Once we are confident in our preparation, we will go out and gather what we can. Expect everything to go wrong, and we may survive long enough to bring anything we discover back home. Is this understood?"

" _Yes, Sasoriza-taichou!_ "

"Hm," the captain murmured, nodding to himself as his pacing slowed. "Get rest, all of you. We will resume in eighty minutes."

With that, the tall Uchiha sat wearily at the cornered dining table, facing the front door with his unsheathed katana laid across his lap like some exotic predator.

The quiet hour passed over as any other would, bringing with it a rest which was deep but ultimately unfulfilling; at least to the untrained.

Sasuke sat on the couch, apparently claiming it as his spot, staring out of the two-story window past a set of buildings. The small portion of clear, star struck sky was poetically brushed with many lunar hues between silver and white.

The young sharingan user was nervous, despite his cool demeanor. He was a practitioner of emotional masking, especially with a sibling as tranquil and collected as his elder brother, Itachi. This, however, did nothing to dispel the worry he had.

Naturally, he feared he might fail the mission and perish. But moreover, he was worried about losing a comrade. It was a normal feeling being so deep in a dangerous mission. Although he had never lost anyone very close to him. Even the fellow clanmates he lost to the Cult were nigh on forgettable since the village was simply too large to cultivate the closeness of all. Living under the same clan did not automatically make them family.

Soon the others were gathered, and they spent the remaining time scrutinizing Suna's layout and defenses, matching their home's intel with their personal experience. The tower in the center of the village; that was their first destination. One of the most guarded locations in any hidden village. The Kage's tower.

The tower in this village was much larger than back at Konoha. Larger and apparently multipurposed. It seemed the most likely to house their volatile jinchuuriki, since it was the most heavily frequented by jonin guards – even more so than Rasa's estate, which the "Hattori family" had briefly caught a glimpse of on their covert inspection of the area.

The time was quickly spent on strategy, tactics, and key points of information like the guard rotation and quantity of armed forces generally seen occupying the village. The shinobi deduced that even wearing their Anbu masks would be too risky with a village so familiar, so they chose to substitute with black masks that covered their head, mouth and nose; only leaving the eyes visible. Yagiza did not even allow this, opting to completely encase her head in black, still able to see due to her byakugan. It was an unnerving sight, but Sasuke and Naruto had nonetheless been in a similar albeit softer situation with their original Hyuga team mate, Hinata, back during a tense mission as chunin.

Once the meeting had concluded, Sasoriza allowed the team twenty minutes to digest the strategy and compose themselves for the treacherous mission ahead.

Borei had reliably returned to his spot on the couch beneath the window to collect himself. The young Uchiha had swiftly exiled any doubt, wondering about his mother and father, but mostly about his brother. Itachi was his envy, but also his pride - a goal for him to overcome. He felt himself getting closer with each passing year; accelerated by the strenuous training he was undergoing with him and Shisui. He was frightened by the secret powers of the Uchiha clan, but he knew he was ready. More than ready.

Knocked out of thought by a strong hand grabbing his shoulder, pitch spheres met ocean blues as Naruto gestured for them to depart with a tilt of his masked head.

The jonin slipped from their window before the coming of deep night, melting into the shadows with expertise. Peripheral specters amid the darkness, they traversed much of the distance between them and their destination before encountering resistance.

Yagiza was the leader during this sneak, watching keenly in every direction with her powerful eyes. The kunoichi kept strict tabs on every individual she viewed, especially those with ninja-grade chakra pools. She made a quick hand signal and everyone froze. Then another, and the unit scattered.

An unexpected division of jonin landed swiftly, masked in frightening visages of various evil guises; the Sand's own Anbu. The half a dozen shinobi leapt from nowhere, shockingly landing a couple of meters from behind them where Borei was hiding – clung to the ceiling of an edifice's overhang. The sentinels looked about before quickly leaping onward. Nothing moved for a time. The Hyuga had a feeling, but there turned out to be no sand drenched in chakra in her visible range. After many tense moments, Yagiza gave the all clear.

Sifting between buildings without a sound, the trespassers came upon a roughly spherical building intersecting the several great walkways that crisscrossed the center point of Sunagakure.

Many rounded edged rectangular windows were lined along indented strips around the building. It rested between a hoop-like, raised platform of sorts – like a ring encircling several meters from the erection. There were black cables connecting it to other buildings and a great badge-like object with its kanji written in red.

Suddenly, Yagiza lifted a closed fist, signaling for them to stop. She then turned her chilling, featureless head in her team's direction. Making a simple motion of her hands, they grew perplexed. She signaled that Gaara was not here or there was no sign of him. No great, condensed figure of chakra.

Borei and Shugeki shared a glance while Sasoriza tilted his head at his partner. The Hyuga shook her head in congruent confusion, unconsciously looking back at the building to study further.

After a few seconds, the kunoichi beckoned for them to follow. Doing so, the team made their way to the Kazekage's office building.

Quickly leaping into one of the many open windows, the team landed in a hallway adorned with paintings of important councilman and a red rug running the length of the space.

Clinging to the gloom, the Leaf Anbu snuck around and came upon an office. Being of little significance, they continued to search room after room until they finally reached the highest floor.

After Yagiza's scan went sans enemies, her squad infiltrated the Kazekage's main bureau.

The mood was tense between the spies as they sorted through papers; many of which were interesting but near useless to Konoha. Luckily, it did not take the elites long to discover pertinent information.

Sasuke found ledgers of Suna's finest ninja, jonin and chunin alike. Just according to instructions, he activated his sharingan and committed every parcel to his iron memory.

Sasoriza did the same as the younger Uchiha, coming upon lists of expenses, flipping through them to record as much as possible for later Yamanaka's to psychically recover.

Yagiza sat on her knees near the entrance, concentrating on the location and state of the humans within range. Her eyes were becoming sore from the consistent use, and her chakra reserves had sustained a modest subtraction. It was nothing she was not used to.

The Uzumaki nearly lost his nerve when he opened the right-hand drawer of Rasa's desk. Within it rested a plethora of information concerning the One-Tail jinchuuriki, with a record of incidents and accumulation of damage reports, expenditures, and fatalities. It appeared to be a very present issue in the life of the Kazekage.

Moving nearly instantaneously, Naruto got the attention of his captain and directed him to the treasure trove.

The dual Uchiha came together to tackle the workload, reading every sheet in unison in the case that one of them were to expire.

Over their shoulders Shugeki was able to read in addition, catching a glimpse of fuinjutsu being mentioned. This peaked his curiosity, and he began reading the documents from his sharingan empowered companions.

The parchment revealed that the Sand had acquired insight into a style of sealing techniques and was then taught to apply them to conceal and contain chakra. This alarmed the blonde a great deal, scrambling suddenly beside their shrouded lookout. Yagiza sensed his urgency, and leaned in with attention as she studied the markings on the paper behind the black cloth.

The diagram showed a series of formula that could be applied in congruence with others to effectively lock an individual's chakra indefinitely. The experiments depicted happened to be failed and imperfect with direct application, but succeeded when used on sealing paper. It appeared that the scientists of Suna managed to create a paper prison for their ultimate weapon.

But another detail was cause for alarm with Naruto and in turn, Yagiza. The nature of this information meant that Gaara was undetectable to the team's sensor ninja. It would be impossible for the kunoichi to locate their prime target without searching every conceivable location physically, hinting at a possibly colossal failure when it was already so difficult just to get in this position.

Just to make the realization increasingly dreadful, none of the details about Gaara included his current location. There was an account of one of his original homes as a young boy under the care of his uncle. A relative that eventually, under orders from Rasa, attempted a suicide-murder which failed and only sunk the poor boy deeper into madness.

With silence, Shugeki lent this realization to the other men who nodded solemnly, continuing their dutiful scanning.

Thirty-seven minutes passed before Sasoriza motioned for the Uzumaki, drawing him near before showing him a group of notes in two sets of handwriting discussing the exchange of resources, power, and wealth for the possession of Gaara of the Sand.

One of the scripts, which context suggests is Rasa's, was grouped with a third set of handwriting. This appeared to roughly reveal that the Sand deemed Gaara as more of a hindrance than a resource, with the idea that whoever receives Gaara and unwraps him will be horribly slaughtered and that the Shukaku will find its own way back to the Land of Wind, since its deserts have long been a natural home for the bijuu.

These letters were tucked on the side of the stack and were not read immediately due to this detail. However, the messages were in the context of a present and ongoing deal with a third-party unit wreathed in the sinister shade of the Black Market.

Hurriedly, Shugeki produced a map and assigned the coordinates from the letters to the map's latitude and longitude. The location was right at the borders of his country, which surprised the young agent a great deal.

When shown to Sasoriza, the man merely nodded in acknowledgement in the dead silent room. Yagiza had an identical reaction, as if this was data they already knew. Borei was the one on the same page as the discoverer of this unsettling disclosure.

Could the third party be associated with the Leaf? Was an enemy stepping directly under their noses to acquire greater power? Konoha had none of these answers. But there was not going to be much time to speculate as Yagiza's head turned in a jerk, ripping the attention of the men toward her.

Without a second thought, the sleuths put everything back exactly how they had found it, and even went so far as to use wind jutsu to ensure no footprints were left on any carpet or flooring.

Finishing quickly, all eyes were on the Hyuga as she pointed in the apparent direction of the trouble; somewhere outside was a group of shinobi in a great hurry toward their position.

Exiting through the doors, team Sasoriza sprinted from the scene and through the building – deciding to exit through a window on the opposite side.

Despite weaving through the corridors with supernatural speed and silence, the pursuers seemed to change course in accordance with theirs, as if to intercept them on the other side. This startled Yagiza, as there was no way for them to have any idea of their position from outside of the Kazekage's landmark.

But she also could not acknowledge this revelation and change course, as this would alert the enemy to their possession of byakugan if they could indeed track them from their dislocated position. This would in turn tie them to Konoha, and war would ignite between the countries.

Staying the doomed course, Yagiza could not even signal to her team that they were racing into a trap for the sake of preserving anonymity. For the first time in ages, the painful grip of fear strangled her.

Reaching the window opposite of the Kazekage's, the Konoha-nin leapt from the rocky window high into the night air.

Immediately, the team was greeted with a hail of shuriken and kunai. All members of the cell were hit unexpectedly as the spray was sent out in anticipation of their aerial exit.

Biting back any signs of agony, the intruders landed on another roundish rooftop before hastily speaking with one another.

"Yagiza…!" came a distressed whisper from her partner, filled with vehement concern and surprise as he gripped the kunai stabbed deep above his hip. "What's happening!"

"Listen!" came the woman's retort, harsh and furious. "They can track us from a distance – like I can! I don't know how!"

A great multiplicity of foot pats could be heard by all members now, and the invaders opted to move. Their many injuries slowed them greatly.

Sprinting away with powerful strides, Sasuke shot wincing black eyes at the kunoichi. "Why didn't you warn us?!"

"That would have been mission-suicide!" Yagiza spat back venomously, pulling a kunai from her lower abdomen, leaving the hateful shuriken imbedded. Wiping the weapon clean on her clothes, she whipped around in midair to send the projectile flying toward their speeding enemies.

The weapon was returned to its sender, cracking strait through the demonic Anbu mask and into their skull.

"Where are we going?!" the young Uchiha questioned again, releasing a spray of projectiles back at the Suna shinobi, catching one in the crook of the arm and another in the shin just below their kneecap.

"I don't know!" the kunoichi admitted dreadfully as her mind scoured for a solution to their survival.

"We need to stand our ground and fight, even if it's short!" Shugeki suggested boldly, throwing a blade of wind chakra through the crowd of Anbu, removing a man's head from the nose up and relieving another of his legs. The rest, however, successfully dodged the elemental jutsu they were most familiar with. "Even if we can't use our native techniques!"

"If we cause a scene the Kazekage will arrive!" Sasoriza countered, periodically turning to block incoming projectiles with valiant swipes of his katana. In a wicked demonstration of agility, the Uchiha ignited his blade with lightning and sent a volley of bolts at the hunters, landing a few strikes to the chagrin of the Sand ninja.

By this time their original numbering of forty-four had been effectively diminished to thirty-nine.

"If they keep chasing us there'll just be more!" the whiskered jonin retorted, sending a mixed burst of bone-breaking wind percussions and stone-slicing air blades.

"Yagiza!" Sasoriza growled ferociously, reluctantly giving into Naruto's logic. Landing abruptly on a flat roof, the man whipped around and shouted to his companion. "On me!"

Using a fire element jutsu native to an island near Kiri, Sasoriza unleashed a twisting inferno upon the massive masked group.

Behind him appeared Yagiza who, having made a smooth motion earlier to unmask her eyes, kept a downward look as she heaved a flow of wind chakra into the burning jutsu. Her assist caused the energy to increase exponentially, vaporizing those unable to dodge the titanic blast.

A sufficient distraction, the party vanished from sight.

Unfortunately, despite their complete invisibility among the shadows, they continued to be hunted by their nameless tracker. But this time Yagiza was able to witness the individual direct his squads toward them. Fully scanning the man, Yagiza became filled with hate and rage.

Funneling this wrath into motivation, the kunoichi shared her knowledge. "I found the fucking bastard that's able to track us. We need to take him out and go back to the safe room – but it cannot be obvious we selected him. Thankfully he is already burned, and moving slow."

Leaping away from their previous location, the team launched a torrent of earth, wind and lightening jutsu. It was not enough, as the Anbu landed like phantoms in a circle around them.

Not allowing themselves to be cornered, Naruto unsheathed another cutting wind blow around them, scattering many of the enemies before they dashed back once more.

It was at this point that their great numbers overwhelmed the foreign Konoha squad. Closing in, a great battle of taijutsu blossomed.

They swiftly became tangled in multiple confrontations, blocking and stabbing at their many opponents. Sasoriza managed to slay two of their attackers in a grand display of hand-to-hand combat, gouging a man behind the jaw with a kunai before gripping and tearing another's jugular loose with his bare hand, continuing the bloodshed in jaggedly blurred motions.

Naruto, clearly the fastest between the four despite his lack of teleportation, inspired fear and awe in the demon-masked jonin as he fought five or more simultaneously; dodging and parrying fists, kunai and projectiles with kicks and strikes of his hands.

A horror inducing rattling sound emitted from several locations, drawing thin notice from the dreadful Konoha elites. Too distracted to concentrate on the terrifying new sounds, they continued to struggle with their overwhelming opponents in flurries of violence.

As the unrealized savior of the group, Sasuke achieved rescue status by slashing and distracting the horrendous puppets that several of the Sand ninja now brandished.

The Uchiha's protection was not enough, however, as an Anbu broke away from Sasoriza and ran a heavily surrounded Naruto through with her dagger. Seizing the opportunity, the blonde's many opponents sank in on him, driving kunai into his ribs, throat and abdomen.

Quickly falling unconscious, his sudden collapse caught the team's attention. Sasuke's black eyes flashed wide in shock while Sasoriza's war cry startled a man between him and Naruto who was soon beheaded with a distorted movement of the Uchiha's katana.

The agents who gutted the Uzumaki turned on the remaining three. A scream was heard behind Sasoriza's, and Yagiza slashed a man out of her way before breaking the neck of the kunoichi that was responsible.

With incredible speed, Sasuke was by Naruto's side, blocking his teeth from biting down on the suicide pill. Lifting him with delicate precision, the sharingan-less Uchiha kicked a man in the face, shattering his mask before he sprinted southwest toward the only safe place within the foreign state.

The elder Anbu held the pursuers at bay for a moment longer before vanishing just the same; quickly arriving at Borei's side. Traversing a great distance unseen despite their accumulated injuries, Yagiza studied Shugeki's unconscious body.

Sasoriza's dark blue eyes asked Yagiza, but only tears came from her pale gaze.

In the chaos of Naruto's downfall, Yagiza expertly injured the shinobi responsible for tracking their movements, and did so in an unsuspecting manner.

Only with this single grace was the team able to slip back into their secured room, hidden safely within the very place they invaded.

 **End**

* * *

 **Fuck yes. Wrote this in a day.**

 **How are you doing?**

 **I hope you enjoyed.**

 **I love you.**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	24. Close Encounters

**22**

 **-Close Encounters-**

* * *

 **Sunday** **, 1:34AM; Sunagakure**

Quiet tumbles of dusty road were brushed by a delicate breeze passing through the Hidden Sand about its unorthodox buildings. Soft wind chimes could be heard in the distance, but few things stirred under the gentle light of a moon suppressed by feathery clouds.

A scene of cruelty took place among the parched streets, with several instances ending in the inevitable summon of death. Blood, gore, and loose appendages sprinkled a small area near the Kazekage's office building. The near silent skirmish accrued no witnesses, save for those who fought.

Within minutes all marks of carnage were eradicated with immaculate precision. Numerous rooftops remained dusty and free of physical disturbance while every drop of spilt blood was expunged.

Suna was returned to normal – tranquil and motionless in the cold nocturnal desert.

Somewhere within the mighty walls of the village was the taint of invaders. Sneaking, skulking at any location imaginable. A search was conducted throughout the dry city, but nothing was out of the ordinary. The injured raiders had vanished.

Not quite, would it seem, as a mortally wounded squad hurried in composed frenzy to sustain the life of their blonde associate and comrade.

The young man had endured a total of twenty puncture wounds. Four of which were caused by a kunai and three shuriken that imbedded themselves when the shinobi leapt from that ill-fated window. The remaining gashes were inflicted when an Anbu of the Sand caught the jinchuuriki in his lower back before his frontward adversaries did him in with another fifteen stabbings to the collar bone, chest and abdominal areas.

The injuries put Naruto in a daze of wispy consciousness before his suicide attempt was cut short by non-other than his childhood team mate. A team mate who now feared the worst as Yagiza hovered over the whiskered jonin.

The jonin who was ultimately his team's fastest, and most importantly safest, route out of the foreign country.

Now the shinobi were on the verge of a mission failure with the possible death of Uzumaki Naruto, the Leaf's jinchuuriki and hailed prodigy.

With the help of the two Uchiha, Yagiza tended to a mess of ripped flesh and tissue. Soaked in shiny crimson, the Hyuga raced to bring Shugeki's vital signs away from the death-seal's activation requirements.

Sasuke and Sasoriza provided rudimentary medical aid to multiple lacerations and stab wounds on Naruto's limbs while the kunoichi attempted to heal his shredded abdominal muscles and organs. While several of the attempts on his life were partially blocked by his armor, many of the blows found depths of fifteen centimeters or more.

As the obsidian-haired men cared for minor inflictions on the Uzumaki as well as themselves, Yagiza continued to toil for the man's life.

"I cannot heal all of these injuries at once," the Hyuga whispered as she began to sweat over his gored form. There were more than a few splitting pains lurking beneath her persistent resolve. "I will fall unconscious before I stop the seal from disintegrating him."

"What are you saying?!" came a surprisingly angry growl from Sasuke. With sharingan alight, he was tending to wounds of his own before stopping with a bloodied, enemy kunai in his hand. "You better not-"

"Quiet now, Borei," a tone of warning emitted from the group captain, lowering his hand in caution. "Yagiza is doing what can be done."

"Do more!" the young elite countered, all but shouting at his superiors. Shaken of composure, but not without. "Damn it- what do you need? Yagiza, what do you need to save him?"

Silence was all the woman responded with.

Apprehensive, Sasuke merely looked between the two true Anbu. His eyes were wide, empowered with scarlet wildness. His tomoe vibrated gently as he stared at the failing body of his best friend. He was emotional, but still in control. Roughly.

The room was quiet despite the intensity. Tears blurred his vision and he stood stiffly with his head sunk low. Bending and gripping his knees, the raven-haired ninja stared into the maroon rug beneath him in emotional concentration. The mighty creep of despair had already begun chipping at his tenacity before his head jerked upright at something the medical agent murmured.

"What did you say?" Borei questioned with calm force, his voice hardly a whisper.

"…It's here," Yagiza sighed again, almost in relief as she watched Naruto's figure with byakugan powered eyes. "Look."

Using a forearm to rub his eyes and focus clearly, the surrounding shinobi observed as a faint shimmer had encased the Uzumaki. Vaguely orange in color, the miasma shrouded Naruto in a silhouette of alien chakra.

"It's the Kyuubi," Sasuke recognized in guarded hope.

The presence of the beast was instantly felt throughout the humble room, like a warm, heavy blanket of dense silk was lain atop the shinobi.

The white-eyed kunoichi sighed again, relieved that her team mate would not perish under her care. Despite the assistance, Yagiza's green chakra continued to hum as it tenderly worked to stop the bleeding.

"This means we need to stay here, doesn't it?" Sasuke inquired tentatively, already knowing the answer to his question as his elders nodded in subconscious synchronization. "Fuck…"

 **Naruto's Mindscape**

Dripping water provided distant white noise as deep, agitated growling finally awoke the dreary boy from his fatal rest. Dual optics of profound, thoughtful blue opened deliberately. Still blurred, all the blonde could make out were shades of black and maroon until he sat up, rubbing some fatigue from his eyes.

'Hm?' The young man became all too aware of the heavy pressure that agony laid over him, filtered through his physicality and just barely halted by his subconscious. Disoriented, it proved difficult as he tried to move his projected body. "Er… ah…What, what happened?"

" **Finally,** " a deep, omnipotent voice answered the jinchuuriki, " **you nearly got us killed, Naruto-baka. Don't you ever think about me when you try fighting to the death?** "

"Huh? Kyuubi?" the Uzumaki questioned as his head continued swimming with a dull wrack of pain. Barely struggling to stand up on two feet, his vision cleared somewhat, and the whiskered man came face-to-face with a behemoth fox who laid in a tight curl behind equally imposing pillars of ornate gold. The thick columns were monstrous, and boasted a red-gold medallion that shined at the center of the barrier. It was the seal his father devised when Naruto decided to relinquish his mother of the Nine-Tailed beast. "What happened, how- I thought I did it? I thought… am I dead?"

" **You would definitely be dead by now if I didn't lend you my power, boy.** " The fox was clearly upset, but merely gazed at him with one calm crimson eye. The beast was resting with his jaw atop both crossed, frontal paws with his bushy tail nearly reaching his snout. " **Reckless.** "

"I wasn't reckless, fox. There were too many of them and we couldn't expose ourselves for the sake of Konoha," Naruto defended with weak irritability; sunk too deep in pain to tolerate his counterpart's criticism. His tedious consciousness was waning, and he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his head. "It was succeed or die, but- but somehow I'm still alive. Right?"

"… **You really tried to do it…** " the bijuu acknowledged, almost softly as his tireless red stare held the jinchuuriki's shaky, returning gaze. " **You're right, boy. You decided to give yourself up before giving your allies away. That takes strength. Now thanks to your friend you get to continue building that strength. Do not let this second chance go to waste… Cherish your survival, and grow. Death is hungry for you now.** "

The jonin nodded languidly as the wall sconces flickered in dimming light before the jinchuuriki's consciousness fell apart in exhausted torpor. Sinking to the ground, Naruto's limp body made a shallow splash as he became fully enveloped by sleep.

" **Hmm,** " the Kyuubi rumbled lowly, lingering on the boy's collapsed figure before slowly closing his bestial eye. The fathomless subconscious started to fade dramatically. " **Rest, kid… We'll speak again soon.** "

 **Saturday, 1:11PM; Land of Iron**

Gleaming expanses of satin ivory trundled farther than one could see as a small team of reconnaissance made their tedious, stealthy way through the midday powder.

The nimble squad of three gradually plodded through deep, dry snow on their journey to the mountainous cave with a naturally rough canine aspect.

The curious location was stage for a bizarre set of events which several Konoha elites were witness to, save for Unzari, who now accompanied his kunoichi riding on the insight they bestowed upon him.

After the sun fell to just a couple hand lengths from the shimmering horizon, Rin's team discovered the modest mountain of interest. Although, long before the trio could reach its unyielding entrance they came upon a series of emissaries. With further inspection, the mount appeared to be teeming with a hearty battalion of samurai warriors that bore a distinct mark that was familiar to the women.

Distant red symbols on the spaulders of the samurai's high-grade armor gave tell of their allegiance to the lithe Captain Akaike. Two demonic eyes above a cruel grin baring teeth of blades marked the garrison apart from the standard troops.

On further observation Rin came to see that the entire area was heavily guarded with the specialized swordsman. "I don't see a way for us to get past these samurai," she whispered informatively, producing binoculars from her pack. "It doesn't look like we can get near the entrance without fighting."

"What? Seriously?" Unzari challenged, puzzled, and almost annoyed at the idea. "They're just samurai. It's us we're talking about. We are shinobi – what makes you think we can't get past them?"

"It is not wise to underestimate your opponent, Unzari," Rin informed in her authoritative, motherlike tone. Flashing her earthy eyes back at the brawny man, she continued, "Listen, samurai are formidable and I believe these are even a cut above the rest since their commissioned leader is highly elite and not trained like any samurai we have ever heard of. But it makes sense in the scheme of things – the people of Iron have their secrets too."

"Yeah, Akaike didn't flinch when Naruto-kun went fiery jinchuuriki-mode on her," Kiken remarked, settling Rin's case as Unzari nodded in understanding, slightly humbled. "What's the plan taichou?"

"Well…" the woman sighed in thought, analyzing the situation for possible routes. She thought of ways to get into the mountain, but logic quickly defeated her as every alternative was halted by the sheer quantity of soldiers about the cave. Her eyes ran over the circulating watches and an idea came to her. Imperfect, but it was something to work with. "I do not see us penetrating their lookouts. The margin of error is too high. However, it might be possible to break off and capture one of these soldiers for information."

"And get Akaike's location out of them," Unzari finished excitedly, fists clenched in blatant anticipation. "How are we going to get one of these guys away from the others?"

"That is where the difficulty lies," the purple-face-painted kunoichi admitted, studying the closest outset of tours. "Their patrolling teams are grouped in fours and the patrol teams themselves are within visual range of the sub-ring guards holding the perimeter of their inner encircled camp at the cavemouth."

"So we need a distraction?" the horned woman concluded quietly, producing a scroll that burst into smoke upon activation. "I can handle that." In her hands appeared a grim bow of sharp black and angular violet. She drew a congruent arrow from the quiver newly fastened to her hip and began fitting it with explosive tags.

"What are you thinking?" Rin inquired curiously, looking back at the archer.

"See that man by the westernmost tent, facing away, fidgeting with his gauntlet adjacent from the man south of him making yellow-snow? I can hit him. I can shoot wide to our right, and high. The arrow would strike from an angle almost perpendicular to ours. That'll keep our location hidden, and if you want I can blow something up in a matching style," the Ryu girl surmised, scanning their six.

"It's a promising direction…" the captain muttered, returning to her binoculars in thought.

"That would open a window for us to possibly kidnap a straggler," the snow-haired man nodded calmly, scrutinizing his enemy's routine.

"That seems like one of the best options," a huddled Kiken acknowledged, upholding a keen watch on their flank with the jagged Kagaikogo in her deft hands. "What's the verdict?"

Rin located the original target and devised their course of action, "I see the man. Your original idea is sound, but it does not seem necessary if you are also going to create explosions. Instead, let your modified arrow strike the middle of their encampment. Then I want you to create another at the top of the mountain, where the outer scouts are; as if we were creating a slice through their defenses to slip into the cave."

"You're so right, better idea. Got it," the markswoman agreed, nodding as she turned to face the samurai and mentally calculate her shots, "I'm ready. Will we capitalize on the best opportunity or will we select a target now?"

"Not sure we can be picky in the chaos," the captain declined, stuffing the compact binoculars away. "On your mark."

"Capitalize it is, then!" Unzari added, cracking his knuckles eagerly. It had been weeks since he had felt the rush of combat.

Kiken's cool, predatory eyes marked her targets before she lifted her weapon, holding the bow horizontally as she nocked the first barbed arrow wrapped in explosive tags. Raising a sign, she activated the explosive notes before pulling the drawstring back.

A quiet moment escaped them before a hushed _thump_ signified the launch of her silent projectile high into the air. Swiftly, the horned girl nocked, turned, and launched her second deathly arrow.

There was a moment of stillness followed by a flash of shouting before a bright white explosion rocked the top of the mountain and was immediately answered by its sister eruption below, in the heart of the startled camp.

The instance of confusion was short lived once the whole company of master warriors turned toward the twin blasts. As all eyes acquired the growing smoke plumes, a metallic scraping of two hundred swords being drawn deafened the hidden shinobi. They were much too organized.

"…! Now! Go now!" came Rin's urgent command in the instant all samurai turned their backs, initiating the trio as they sprinted from their cover.

The agile ninja moved rapidly for the closest soldier. However, the distance was too great for the wickedly unprecedented response time of the swordsmen. Kiken realized this, crafting another explosive arrow as she charged, equipping it with additional tags and smoke. As she ran, the barefoot kunoichi leapt, twisting counterclockwise before she loosed her arrow, adding the needed spin for it to gradually tilt and turn midair to strike within the mouth of the cave, exploding brutally in a display dwarfing its predecessors.

Heaps of rock, smoke and snowy dust flooded the uproarious camp, prompting the entirety of Akaike's division to close in on the violence.

A positive opportunity presented itself as they neared the closest preoccupied squad. The women supported him as Unzari swiped a straggler's helmet off and clasped his hand over the samurai's mouth, dragging him back and away.

This did not go unnoticed unfortunately, causing Rin to use a genjutsu on the alert comrade who alarmingly turned to the quiet, aberrant scuffling behind him. Elegantly entranced and swiftly silenced, the shinobi retreated into the earth where Kiken created a squat tunnel.

Disappearing beneath the blinding powder and melting into the terrain, Rin and Unzari carried their hostages behind Kiken as she clawed through the earth in a gradual downward slope.

After well over a mile was put between the chaotic, smoldering camp, the draconic earth-user began to tire and cleared a space for them to rest underground. She exceeded two hours of digging, and was sore about her hands and forearms.

Unzari helped position their now armor-less captives before his captain used earth release to entrap both bare samurai in stony casts, dividing the room to separate themselves. The cold, solid rock locked their limbs behind their backs as they sat upright against the rough walls with their legs spread wide to subtly enhance their vulnerability.

The violet-eyed man decided to sit through the first watch as the three of them rested in a separate chamber, neatly carved by Rin who even managed to soften the floor into fresh, loose soil. The pure earthy scents knocked the horned Ryu ninja unconscious the instant she laid her head down. The captain quickly passed out beside her as well, leaving Unzari to lay quietly in the dim glow of a single candle.

The light was more than sufficient, and just barely crept into the prisoner's region of the subterranean hideout. The air was still, but not stagnant, and the cool dirt made the eldest shinobi shiver before her white-haired student covered her in an extra blanket.

This fashioned Unzari's concern, as they had not thought about the health of the Iron samurai who had yet to wake. The men were audibly quivering as the only sound to perforate the silence were the breaths of slumber.

He thought about the situation for a moment before shrugging and retrieving heat packs from their gear. He crushed the contents of both bags, activating the chemical heat within as he approached the samurai. Gently, the ice user nuzzled both bags against the throats of the hostages, tucked haphazardly under their chins.

Nodding in satisfaction, Unzari returned to his spot and sat wide-eyed in the placid tunnel – patiently waiting as his friends rested beside him.

A short hour past before Rin's hazel eyes peeked open after shifting restlessly for several minutes. Finally sitting up, she gazed with her shirtless student before nodding solemnly.

The men could be heard conversing in the dark of the cave as the brunette approached, remaining hidden. Did they know they weren't alone?

"…I don't know, maybe an hour? Two? Ah-I don't really know. Are you certain you have no room to move, Oda?" the first one asked. He sounded young, weary, but not frightened. His conviction was solid.

"Erngh, no," came the second's rough response. He sounded aggravated, and his voice was low and hoarse, like a heavy bolder scraping stone. "Uhragh- I'm completely immobilized. Akgh, is your pack still warm?"

"Yes, it is. It seems they don't want us freezing to death," the youthful one observed, pausing a moment as Rin eavesdropped around the corner, meters away to their ignorance. "They'll most likely be back to interrogate us. What do you think happened to the others?"

"Ern, gah- what were there, three explosions? Four? It's hard to remember much before I was knocked out," voice number two answered uncomfortably, attempting to budge within his stalwart cocoon. It was obvious these two were about the same age, mid-twenties maybe, but they held themselves with dignity and calm awareness. Certainly a cut above the rest. However, Rin could not help having flashbacks of the mutated prisoners hidden within the white halls of that mountain. The memories thoroughly erased any pity, "I can't say. But I can't accept that our brothers and sisters could be taken out just like that. I'm sure they're looking for us right now."

"I agree, Oda…" the first samurai concluded, dropping the conversation into a thoughtful silence. Rin took a noiseless step forward to round the small wall hiding herself from their fixed view but halted just short as the gruff sounding swordsman broke the silence.

"Sanada, are you prepared for torture?"

His statement was simple, calm, and expectant. Oda's tone made their foreseen horrors sound like a cumbersome, mandatory chore that must be completed. There was a steadfast, but fleeting silence following the question.

A question that made Rin flinch internally. She knew she should stop listening and begin, but she wanted to make the best use of her entrance. Additionally, the medic-nin was in no rush to begin the painful questioning.

"Yes!" came Sanada's decisive response, certain and resolute in its quality within the cold, dark walls.

"Listen to me. I'm ready to die for the Mainland. Let them torture me; do not give them _anything._ No matter what," Oda demanded collectedly. The first man answered in firm avowal, settling his companion's concerns.

"I'm ready. They are only wasting their time," an optimistic Sanada assured, stiffly pressing on the only source of heat squished beneath his chin. He was opening his mouth to say something about it being an honor to serve alongside Oda before a faint silhouette came from their left, silencing the samurai duo. They had long since thought themselves to be alone, for they had heard nothing for some time. The shaded quiet played tricks on their thoughts.

The mid-sized woman entered smoothly and looked down at her captives, only faintly discernable in the darkness. Lifting a single candle in her right hand, she struck a match over the wall and set the light source aflame. Then slowly planted the white wax into the solid rock where it stuck, adhered.

The fire began casting stretched, jerking shadows against the rough, grey space. Rin was void of any visible affiliation to Konoha, standing before the men in her white, hooded coat and matching combat bottoms.

Her soft features were somewhat harshened by the angle of the illuminance at her feet – hollowing her eyes and stripping the rounded prettiness from her face.

The pinned samurai stared rigidly since movement of the extremities was impossible to manage. Only the skin between their brow and chin was visible as dense rock encased every other inch. Sanada looked the kunoichi up and down in an anxious flick, but Oda merely stared her in the face.

The silence was tense and lasted for an uncertain length of time before Rin stepped over the flame and knelt between them, forearm on her right knee.

She looked at Oda on her left before turning to Sanada. They were definitely young, something like a decade younger. The stoic woman was internally rapt with their resolve, but showed nothing. Instead, she wore a mask of cold intellect.

The Nohara moved unexpectedly toward her gruff, black-eyed samurai. His features were strong, solid, darkened from the sun and the snow's reflection of it. Oda met her eyes and his pulse went wild of its own accord. She did not allow the eye contact, instead staring into the void as she placed the back of her hand against his left temple, reading his temperature.

Swiftly moving to where Sanada was pinned, she did the same, but inversed. Rin seemed happy with their results and stood to pace back. She surveyed the scouts as her appearance remained indifferent, completing mental calculations.

The ochre-eyed Sanada kept his breath steady, but his heart beat erratically. His body was reacting to all the possibilities his imagination could muster. As soon as he became conscious of this it seemed as though his captor overheard his thoughts, since she turned quite evilly toward him; unwantedly granting him her first grace of eye contact.

"I hope you don't think you can withhold any information from me." Rin warned, her tone a current of icy lightning. "Whatever I want you will give. But you do have a choice: You _can_ tell me now, or you _will_ tell me later. The end result will be the same. However, the grace at which I learn what I want is entirely at your discretion."

If Sanada had the capability of subconsciously turning toward his partner, he would have. He could feel his blood pulsating in heavy beats against his eardrums and his face began to heat up. A cold sweat broke across his brow but he merely stared at the shape of his enclosed legs. He shivered frightfully when she spoke his name. Why did she know it?

"Sanada, I don't want to hurt you. I just need to know where your captain is," the woman prodded, rounding the edges of her tone to afflict her feminine softness unto him. Kiken had awoken and listened intently beside her larger cohort. They knew of the samurai, that they live by codes of honor. This was not a country of malevolence, but malevolence poisoned it anyway. "I'm not going to harm her unless she is truly spreading evil. But she is suspected to be tangled in questionable dealings and I need to find out more that I can only learn from her. I know your people are good, please help me."

There was an instantaneous, physical relaxation that abruptly overcame the young man. He sighed in a short breath, almost like a chuckle before he truly giggled to himself in relief. The interrogating shinobi did not show her perplexity, but she was immensely bewildered by the foreigner's reaction as he swore under his breath in sweet luck.

Oda had a similar, more stoic reaction to his emotional counterpart – closing his eyes and taking the deepest breath his prison would allow before slowly exhaling.

"Yes, absolutely." Sanada accepted with a fat smile of unrivaled reprieve. He looked at the ceiling in silent thankfulness before meeting his captor's gaze once more. "Captain stationed us to guard the Hall, but she herself informed us that there was a meeting at the capitol she must attend. We have not heard from her since- oh, she left yesterday, before the break of dawn."

Taking a seat with crossed legs, she stated simply, "I am going to need more information than that."

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we don't believe her ourselves," the boyish warrior admitted, still beaming with elation at the unintentional dodge of fatal suffering. The comment pinched her brow in confusion, but she allowed them to continue.

"It's true ma'am, Captain's been… she's been different. It's hard to describe," Oda added uneasily, his low voice a gravel of calm tones. "She's off, and none of us know why. We barely recognized anything was wrong until recently."

"So her cruel, emotionless nature is something of recent question?" she asked inquisitively, happy to receive this intelligence so willingly. She hated torture, or "information extraction," even if she only ever applied it through genjutsu.

"Mm, no…" Oda declined.

"She's just a bitch," Sanada added bluntly.

"But she was never… like this. Like I said, it's hard to explain," the tan soldier offered, agreeably relaxed despite his discomfort.

"Can you give me some idea?" Rin pleaded hopefully.

"She would never leave us stationed somewhere like this." Oda answered simply.

"We should know exactly what we are defending and who we are defending it from, like we always do." Sanada informed in support, seemingly offended by the concept surrounding his leader. "Plus, she's never _left_ before. If we fight, she fights. If we guard, she guards. Until now, I guess…"

"Well…" Rin sighed, flabbergasted at the sudden turn of events before her. She looked between the men before laughing softly, "I must acknowledge the obvious here: I did not expect this turning out so… what's the word? Nicely."

"We are certainly grateful." Oda appeased respectfully, subconsciously attempting to bow before mentally berating himself for the stupidity.

"Lord, yes, thank you for not torturing us." Sanada blurted thoughtlessly, chuckling at himself contagiously before the other two joined him. Before they realized, they were all laughing together in universal liberation.

The kunoichi's hidden students chuckled quietly to themselves as the pressure was released from the situation.

"Hehe, ohh, alright – come out here you two." Rin commanded, momentarily confusing her temporary prisoners. "Make sure these guys don't try anything."

"Oh- certainly not, ma'am, we're only happy to be alive." Sanada admitted sheepishly, staring in dumbfound curiosity at the shirtless behemoth and barefoot oddity that joined his would-be interrogator.

"Ohhh, that makes sense now," Oda observed aloud, slightly intimidated.

"What makes sense?" Rin asked in light-hearted, cautious wonder as she approached.

"Oh, bh- uh, well ma'am, it certainly surprised me to think you got the better of both of us and dragged us to who-knows-where all by yourself… Not to discredit you, or anything, ma'am…" the masculine individual admitted nervously, administering additional scoldings to himself.

"Hey- I could manage that!" she quipped offendedly, drawing grins from most of the others. Shaking her head, Rin moved on, "Whatever, here."

Reaching the men, she gripped the stone and, with the unseen assistance of elemental ninjutsu, tore great chunks aside to free Sanada then Oda.

Unzari naturally watched with keen wariness, as did Kiken, but they soon relaxed as the men stood and thanked Rin gratefully, even bowing low in humble respect.

"So how do we get out of here?" the rusty eyed samurai asked after fully donning his signature armor, along with his coarse comrade. They felt leagues more comfortable, secure, and positive at this juncture.

"Well as much as we all know there's no ill-will, I just cannot allow you to follow, nor may I allow any chance of such a thing. No offense," the lead ninja enlightened easily, receiving nods from both armored men.

"We expect as much from shinobi," Oda stated simply, modestly surprising the trio as he contently fastened certain sects of his armor. "We will do as you ask. But please, if you happen to expose Akaike for some evil, spare her life and allow the Iron to punish her. We deserve to know, and she may deserve punishment only our people can bring."

"Know that if she perishes at our hands, there was no other choice," Rin accepted charmingly, bowing in returned esteem.

"Thank you!" came the dual responses of the samurai as they bowed in unison.

"Ready yourselves. We are going to disappear, and you are going to wake up in the snow. You will be within a few miles of your mountain," the jonin directed kindly, focusing her chakra.

"Sounds fair, ma'am," Sanada accepted, inspecting the brunette's features. The young man found himself strangely attracted to her. It was possible Oda shared a similar feeling. "Goodbye miss ninja."

"Goodbye gentlemen," she concluded before their world was slowly dipped in black.

 **End**

* * *

 **My life ends Aug 14** **th** **, 2017. I begin a full load of courses as well as doing the father and work things. Unsure of how much I'll be able to write, but I will do my best!**

 **Good day, and thank you for reading.**

 **-Kyzer-**


	25. Konohagakure

**23**

 **-Konohagakure-**

* * *

 **Saturday, 5:52PM; Land of Iron**

The frostbitten day was beginning to wane as Konoha's three jonin abandoned a scene of their espionage. Eventually stopping among the rolling bleached-bone hills, Rin procured a durable, specialized manuscript from within her hefty winter coat. Opening the fuinscroll, she began to notify her Hokage of the current state of her mission and the intel they have gathered thus far as the topless agent sighed to himself.

"Okay, so do neither of you think that was weird?" he asked expectantly, tilting back in an armed gesture toward the men they left in the snow miles away.

Rin held a finger up as she dutifully scribed onto the dimensional paper before Kiken responded brightly, "Their relief and willingness to help us, you mean?"

Rustling a hand through his stark white hair, Unzari nodded his snow glittered head, "Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who recognized it."

Vibrant green locks bobbed as the draconic shinobi shook her angular visage, "It makes sense to me."

"What do you mean?" he asked, perplexed as he folded his arms challengingly. "How?"

"I look at the whole situation," she responded with a casual shrug, meeting the fathomless gaze of her towering companion. "It just makes sense."

"Okay, yeah, but how?" the half-dressed shinobi pressed curiously again. Kiken cocked her head, inhaling as he turned toward their captain, "Sensei, did you have them in a genjutsu?"

Looking up from her persistent writing, Rin sighed as she turned to look her student in the eye.

"No, I didn't actually," the woman answered before enhancing her reply, "Well I started to. I made my connection when I checked their temperature, but I didn't want to press on them until they gave me reason. But then, well, you know what happened."

"Yes. But that is the part I am stuck on. Guys," he pleaded, arms falling off of his chest with palms raised in question, "why would they give their captain up so easily? You don't think that's weird? What if it's a trap, or what if they're lying?"

"I would know if that was a lie," Rin informed assuredly, raising her eyebrows slightly. She shifted in the powder to better face the Yuki clanmate, "Unzari, I believe they were purely relieved that we were not there for some other bit of information. Plus, you heard their reason for telling us; their beloved captain has left them estranged. She's up to something. Everyone who saw that woman could tell that she's suspicious."

"Even if they weren't lying, it could still be a trap. The capitol? Really? The most highly guarded city in every country ever is where they directed us?" he stated incredulously with a hand thrown in the capitol's direction, gradually moving in harsher motions as his anxiety grew. "Also, they're alive! We let them go, so now all of Iron will know that some ninja from Konoha kidnapped two of their samurai and are on their way to their strongest city to assault one of their esteemed Captains."

Rin paused in calculation, slightly disgruntled as she had gone back to lettering Minato.

"Actually, I think it is possible Oda and Sanada may have recognized us," the horned kunoichi admitted with a hand running backward through the ends of her dense, curly tresses. She blinked thoughtfully, "But there were so many of them I can't be sure. Although it's possible they don't know about the disgusting things going on down behind the hidden door like that wicked Akaike does…"

"Either way I'm not buying it," Unzari stated bluntly, questioning his position minutely but still certainly bewildered by the underwhelming encounter. "You'll be thanking me later."

"Well it doesn't matter," Rin sighed calmly, regarding the reply once again before rolling and tucking the fuinscroll away. "Minato-sama gave us our orders, and we don't even need to assault anyone."

"Huh?" Unzari grunted as his petit companion also regarded the woman in turn.

Climbing to her feet, the painted lady motioned for them to follow, "Come on, we're heading south to meet with General Mifune."

 **10:19PM; Land of Iron – Southern Coast**

Rin's squad hiked steadily as passing hours threw Sol behind the earth, dipping the temperature considerably as the tiresome miles brought the unit to a burly garrison hugged by the night's shade. Tremendous walls and substantially imposing samurai warriors guarded the practical structures crowned with dancing illumination.

A stalwart pair of heavily armored guardsman stood shoulder to shoulder before two utilitarian, cast-iron doors.

Rin, puny in comparison to the hulking swordsmen, trudged straight up to them with casual determination in the gentle, torchlit breeze. "Hi. Nohara Rin, from Konoha. My cell and I were on mission and the Hokage sent me to discuss something important with General Mifune."

The pair passed a vague look between themselves before they guardedly hefted their weapons as the leftward man spoke up, "You are not one of those who arrived on the boat."

"Yes sir, none of us are. But we were already here on assignment. Naruto, Ino, and Hinata came as relief," she responded understandably, being rightfully polite as she listed the names of relevance, "and now we were told to bring our newfound worries to your General."

"How are we to trust you are not one of the rogue shinobi?" the behemoth to the right questioned, his voice the like of a mountain.

"I am not going to ask that you trust me just yet, but would you please summon General Mifune? We will stay put," the ninja captain promised firmly.

The duo hesitated before the first spoke once more, "Since it is Mifune-sama we speak of, we do not fear any attack on him by the three of you," he uttered sturdily as he lifted his thick free hand, giving a distinct signal before recomposing himself. "He has been summoned. Do not move, and keep in mind that if you try anything, Mifune-sama is the strongest warrior walking this land. He once killed a master dragon with a single swipe of his blade."

"Excuse me?!" a suddenly incited Kiken spurted as a feral expression started to overtake her. She took a mighty step forward before a shout was heard behind the gate. Chains began clanking before the heavy metal whined in protest as the broad castle doors retreated with a slow inward swing.

"Don't listen to these fools, all they do is exaggerate," an old, grizzly voice joked openly as an elder samurai with bandages covering the top of his skull emerged from within the hold. Even he was dwarfed by the monstrous warriors that quickly made way with unseen eyes locked alarmedly on their foreign visitors. "Oh, I'm sorry if my men offended you, young lady. You must be a descendant of the Ryu tribe. Please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf of their embellishments."

"Oh, no, it's fine- excuse me," the reactive kunoichi faltered embarrassingly as Rin lent her hand to the man.

"It's nice to meet you again General Mifune-sama, my name is Nohara Rr-"

"Rin. Yes, I believe we met briefly last Monday. And you, ah yes, miss Ryu; you must be from the day before. Kiken, was it?" the thoughtful warrior recognized, meeting the Nohara's grip before gesturing. "Come, come. It's cold as hell out here- let's get inside and you can tell me what you found."

 **Land of Iron – Southern Coastal Outpost**

Steadily guided by a senior of the sword, the overseas soldiers patiently accompanied the sluggish man into his waterfront complex, diverting from the main leveled structure toward a lesser shoulder building within the walls.

As they entered the dry space, they were greeted with dusty rustic scents of solid wood and steel. The chamber was deep and rectangular, with a blackboard hanging opposite of the doorway. The room of conquest was dark and musky as the great war table sat unused, taking up much of the empty space.

Two winging samurai, hefty but not as massive as their guarding counterparts, assisted the group with clanking armor as they pulled dense wooden chairs to the table. Setting their torches in metal holdings on the walls, the escorts took their leave and remained outside, covering the door.

"Ahh, see? Much better," Mifune sighed comfortably, hand on his sheathed katana as he slowly relaxed across from his visitors. "So- ah, let us get down to business. Your arrival tonight means you've run into some trouble and have yet to solve our little rogue problem. Is that right?"

"Correct, General Mifune-sama," the Konoha captain admitted solemnly despite his welcoming conduct, continuing in stride, "Minato-sama told me of the contact between you two and when I informed him of our dilemma he instructed us to bring the matter to you. It would seem this issue has gone partially beyond our reach."

"One of your captains appears to be involved in…some apparently malicious dealings," Rin went on, leaning her forearms on the detailed table with her hands folded. "Last Tuesday, a team of five, including myself and Kiken, were inspecting a mountain northeast of here after many of my peers had battled a squad of Cultists,"

"Hold a moment. Cultists?" the General inquired seriously, deepening the dark circles under his eyes as his brow pursed.

"Yes sir. I have been granted permission to brief you on this classified information, but only you are to know, sir. No others, so the Hokage has declared," the jonin informed, maintaining her eye contact with the weary samurai.

Kiken watched inaudibly, hands holding her knees in unrealized suspense while Unzari laid back in his fraught seat, muscly arms crossed as he listened intently.

"…and so it shall be. Hahuh, I think I like that Minato fellow. Please," he gestured, stroking his fu-manchu slowly, "continue."

"Thank you." The kunoichi bowed her head in respect before she carried on, "Last Tuesday, several of our jonin battled the Cultists south of here, in the Land of Tundra. Kiken was there, and the rogue ninja who your people have suspected seem to be the Cultists my village has been after as of late. They are seemingly comprised of defected Konoha shinobi who have feigned death in order to remain hidden. Their goal seems to be the separation of a certain clan from our village. These extremists also mean to destroy the rest of the Leaf."

"Hmph. I understand why your leaders would keep this quiet. How does this tie in with your arrival here?" the composed elder pressed, leaning in attentively.

"Well, that same day my partner and I were investigating a location where our intelligence suspected the fanatics may be located. Like I mentioned before, it's northeast of here within a mountain with a wolf-like cavemouth," Rin elaborated as the swordsman nodded slowly.

"Mount Urufu Kami…" the bandaged samurai added softly, eyes drifting away in humble thought. He looked back toward his guests, rolling his shoulders back as he continued to stroke his goatee. "A sacred site. Within it rests a place of honor for generations of the finest warriors. It's one of few remaining ancient tombs lurking among the north's eternal winter." Mifune's gaze hardened as he returned Rin's hazel stare. "…How far did you get into the Mountain? What did you find?"

She began hesitantly, clearly witness as the news saddened her host, "Well, my partner went in first. He was gone for many hours before some of the party that defeated the group of rogues joined me. Not long after, my partner emerged once he discovered a way into one of the sealed doorways-"

"Those are forbidden!" the fierce samurai shouted, rising in a blur with his hands pressed on the table. General Mifune imposed no ill intent on the foreigners, as his demeanor was obviously that of distraught fury. However, the trio were powerless to stop the adrenaline from pumping. He knew there was more to be said about their account, but the disgrace was an affront on his patriotic people, and he could not have it. "The crypts are only for the descendants of the past! None else may enter!"

"Sir, we understood that it would be wrong to infiltrate a place within your territory, but we had to know if the site was a resting place of great threat. More alarming, General, is that it seems someone…" Rin paused, unsure of continuing as Mifune's afflicted, unyielding stare bore into her, "…someone has desecrated the tomb. When we entered one of the sealed doors my partner was able to unlock, we were greeted with a trap. There were demons made of shadow, and prisoners. Oh, the prisoners- they were wounded, mutated- tortured even. They were starving. We witnessed this clear as day, but before we could rescue the poor people… Your captain arrived."

"…What captain…?" the fading man asked guardedly, peering down into Rin. She didn't fully grasp his intensity as she replied.

"Akaike."

Mifune shook his head in the subtlest manner, slowly placing himself back in the leather-padded chair as Rin woefully pressed on with conscious concern, "Captain Akaike arrived and told us we must leave under your orders. She brought us out into the main hall where her army waited and she forced us to leave. But we came back this morning."

"The three of us returned to find her. We arrived at the Mountain around midday and found her battalion stationed outside, guarding it. We created a…distraction before we kidnapped two of her subordinates. To add to the strangeness, they were at my mercy until they realized who I was looking for. Once it was clear what I wanted, they easily gave Akaike up, informing me that she was at your capitol, and that she had been acting more than bizarre recently."

"This can't be Yuko…" the troubled veteran sighed, running a palm down his face as he leaned back, rubbing his eyes before tugging at his wispy beard toward the end. Sighing gravely, he enlightened the estranged guests, "I gave her no such orders. She secured your colleague's arrival with me Tuesday morning, and once they left she requested to aid them in support. I granted her free reign to do as she sought."

"I grant this often, and always have," Mifune went on somberly. Languidly producing a flask from behind a panel of armor, he took a practiced swig. Expertly replacing the container, he lamented gruffly, "Yuko was my sister's only child. Her mother was lost to a terrible sickness before the poor girl reached womanhood, and her father had perished in a skirmish only months before. My niece has an angry soul, but it is good. I cannot believe she would be involved in any of these atrocities."

The guests sat uneasily around the grey-haired swordsman, unable to form any response as the intelligent military leader reflected on the disturbing news. None of the three were about to dispute or insist upon their own knowledge of the demon masked woman, especially as they learned of her familial acquaintance to the vastly experienced warrior.

Nearly an entire minute passed in sheepish silence before Mifune looked back up from his brief stupor, nodding to himself reluctantly. "Your words have been heeded, Rin-san. I will make arrangements; you may leave the rest to me. However, if our rogue problem continues after I take care of this I will call on Konoha to remedy the situation. Otherwise I will remedy them myself. Does that sound reasonable, Rin-san?"

"Yes sir, more than reasonable, thank you," Rin accepted gratefully, rising quickly to bend in a firm bow, palms pressed together. Her students easily followed her lead, "I will inform Minato-sama about our discussion right away. We appreciate your help, General Mifune-sama."

"Not a word more of that, dear," the well-seasoned chief abated kindly, rising with his left palm dutifully secured at his katana's guard. "Now, let's get you some rest. I'll have my men make a space for you to sleep; there will be food in the morning."

"You're too kind," the leading kunoichi acclaimed appreciatively, praising him once more, echoed by her pupils in turn, "thank you!"

"What did I say about that?" Mifune teased with a cool chuckle. He opened the door with a tug, greeted briskly with the biting night air as he shouted commandingly, "Alright men! Would ya find our honorable guests a decent place to sleep already?!"

 **Sunday, 10:59AM; Konoha – West Gate**

The rounded territory rested peacefully under a stark cobalt sky, occasionally decorated with shade in the semi-overcast weather. The white sun was beginning to roast the citizens as the day seared toward its summery zenith.

A lone traveler approached the Leaf's large westward entrance, all but boiling in the heat under his black outfit and gear. The trail was swathed by innumerable trees but their shade mockingly neglected the long road. The visitor was outfitted with loose black pants that tightened naturally just before the ankles where uniquely matching high-collared, open-toed sandals covered his feet.

His loose, congruent top was long-sleeved and had slack hems on the front and back that reached his mid-thigh. Around his waist was a thin red belt of cloth that matched the three red and green scrolls he carried – stacked horizontally on his back.

Atop his head was a cowl that reached past the neck but allowed his face to be seen from below the top of the brow. Securely fastened was a metal forehead protector with the engraving of an hourglass etched in the center.

A reddened hue of purple face-paint silhouetted his eyes and lips, with four filled triangles pointing at the center of his visage from his forehead, chin, and cheeks. Sharpened streaks accented his brow, thinning down his nose while a curved, jaggedly pointed line ran below his coal-black eyes about the cheek bones.

"I didn't think this place could get so hot," the traveler sighed quickly, nearly reaching the dual guards sitting lazily in their booth as he made his way. "It's not even midday yet, huh. I'm impressed."

"Hey," the foreign shinobi greeted lamely, raising a hand in salutations.

"Mornin'," the woman with her feet propped on the counter hailed, not bothering to open her eyes as she fanned herself with a clipboard beside her mustached coworker who merely glanced at the newcomer before returning to his notebook. "Need your passport, babe."

"Oh, duh," the painted stranger grunted awkwardly, rustling a hand in his pocket before producing the small, lusterless blue booklet of question, "here ya go."

The tanned guard opened her chocolate-brown eyes, shifting to receive the required item. Inspecting it briefly with an optic flash behind her glasses and a pleased nod, she glanced back up at the itinerant ninja and offered his passport. "Whatcha visitin' for?"

"Oh, well my sister's been staying here for something like a vacation, or whatever," he informed, retrieving his identification, "I'm here to escort her home I guess, and see what all the fuss is about with this place. If it's as nice as she hypes it up to be, maybe I'll just stay a couple days; or maybe not. Who knows," he shrugged, hands buried in his pockets, "I got nothing going on."

"Cool. Kankuro, is it?" the guardswoman asked frankly, nestling back into her previous position before closing her inquisitive eyes. "You single?"

"Wha- yeah, but-" the outsider stammered, bewildered by the kunoichi's blunt nature.

"Good, 'cause you're pretty cute. Go head babe, go have fun with sis," she concluded, waving him off curtly as she continued fanning herself.

Kankuro grumbled to himself about the kunoichi being weird and stupid, but otherwise smoothly continued his stride into Konohagakure.

Wandering lazily through the sunny village, he eventually came upon the hotel his sister said she was staying at. Recalling the room number, the shrouded ninja made his way around the pale blue building.

Arriving at room seventy-seven, the puppet master gave the wooden door a few hard raps. Listening intently, there appeared to be no one in the sweet. Deftly checking for civilians, Kankuro picked the lock and entered to find a note on the humble coffee table.

" _If you show up and I'm not here, I went to relax in the fresh hotsprings this place brags about._

 _Just wait for me to come back, I shouldn't be long._

 _idiot"_

"Tch, bitch…" the brother muttered to himself before idly turning around to leave the hotel. Marching for Konoha's hotsprings, he readied himself for a pissy sibling.

 **Hotsprings**

Billows of mineral-scented steam wafted up at the man as several naked women began to shriek in surprise, causing a dirty blonde woman to jerk around at the collared sandals by her face.

Standing at the edge of the water, Kankuro crossed his arms as he peered down at the wide-eyed woman below him, "Come on already, Temari-baka. We've got work to do!"

The surprise of the ladies rapidly shifted to blatant rage as they covered themselves, climbing out of the springs to enclose on him.

"I told you to fucking wait, asshole!" the abashed fan user growled, readying herself like a feline predator about to pounce on its game. Before she could rise from the steaming bath, her fellow spring-goers collapsed in on the insensitive intruder.

"Step aside ladies, I'm only here for my sister," the stoic invader promised, unmoving before the women quickly reached him and grabbed at his clothes. "Tch, I'd let go if I were yu-"

A dense _bumpff_ was blazingly muffled into his abdomen before Kankuro found himself hurled into the air, over the locker-room building, and into the tranquil brook running alongside a street beyond the spa walls.

Uncupping her breasts, Temari leapt from the pool and thanked her sibling's assailant before she dried off and donned her clothes, ninja mesh, and armor. Finishing her quadruple ponytail set, the emerald-eyed diva swore to herself and stormed out into the street where she found the small river to be empty, with a damp trail leading toward her place of stay.

Cursing again, she crossed the small, red-railed bridge as she ran for her hotel.

Bursting through the white door, Temari grabbed her brother from the bathroom by his spikey brown hair, interrupting the reapplication of his face paint. "You can read, can't you dumbass?"

"Ow! Get off me- yeah I can read, can you?" Kankuro griped as she shoved him down onto his rear.

"Of course _I_ can read, idiot! I told you to wait!" she scolded fiercely, stomping away to sulk on the couch. "You just had to go and ruin my morning; once again!"

"Quit your bitching, you're the one who's gonna make us late," he rebuked with irritation, getting to his feet, "if you weren't illiterate you would know we need to get outta here by twelve."

"YOU-!" the kunoichi blurted in exasperation, claw-like hands raised in a deathly strangling simulation before she stomped up to him. "Twelve A-M. In _thirteen hours_! Look!"

Kankuro stared defeatedly at the paper she raised to his mostly painted face, chuckling awkwardly with his hands propped defensively, "Hey, shit, my bad sis- eheh…"

Temari lurched, grabbing her shirtless brother by the arm with her first raised before she wavered and settled on kneeing him in his already bruising stomach.

"Fuck off, I'm going out," the eldest Sand Sibling vexed, storming out of the hotel before shouting over her shoulder. "And damn it, we'll leave when I say so!"

 **6:09PM; Konoha – Brittle Leaf Hotel**

Level snoring greeted a sun kissed shopper as the blanched door creaked under her hand. Stepping into the quaint space, Temari shoved the snorer's feet off the couches' armrest with her free hand, "Wake up, let's go home."

"WaAgh-!" Half off the sofa, Kankuro collapsed the rest of the way due to his sudden start and jumpy reaction. He thought she would use up every last second of her week-long vacation before his discourteous awakening, "Ugh, get the fuck out."

"Consider it payback, idiot," she hissed in return as she gathered her well collected belongings. "Let's go, this place is starting to depress me."

"Kh, whatever…" the jonin grunted, lazily climbing his way up and eventually out the door after they retrieved their possessions, leaving a peculiar scroll behind tucked under a loose board covered by one of the stiff mattresses.

Before long, the duo came upon the gate facing diagonally toward their home. Passing the weary Konoha hosts, Kankuro spotted movement in his peripheral as the woman from this morning tilted forward against the wooden desk, squishing her cheek leaning against a delicate hand.

"Aww, gone so soon, stranger?" the jonin flirted as she slowly blinked her cheek-lifted eyes, grinning coyly. "What a shame, you were kinda handsome."

Temari laughed in a repeated "kinda" at her sibling's expense as they slowed somewhat to regard her among the elongated shadows.

"So this is your sister," the drowsy guard quipped, peering over her lenses as she acknowledged the dirty blonde in what seemed to be a slight of challenge. Removing the spectacles, she shifted her attention seductively, "I guess you hogged all the good looks, didn't you babe?"

"Say what?" the Suna kunoichi snapped, biting off her laugh with emeralds that squinted in studious contest. "You should stop calling him babe, my brother isn't interested in boys."

The abrasive native's well-groomed coworker couldn't stifle a sudden laugh, accruing an offensive look from his ostentatious shift-mate. "Eh, sorry…"

Turning back to her objects of interest, the flaunty sentinel laughed amusedly before shaking her head, "Have a nice trip, ya'll. Hope to see you again soon, Mr. Kankuro." Finishing with a wink, she leaned back in her seat with a wave of impolite farewell.

Kankuro shook his head as he moved on beside Temari, who scoffed arrogantly after sizing the local. Turning her attention to the blushing horizon, the two children of Suna began their journey home.

Konoha's chocolate-eyed guard replaced her bifocals, throwing her hands behind her head as she watched the Sand shinobi disappear against the celestial glare.

"Rieko," there was a vague change in the environment before a voice that was neither hers, nor her partner's spoke up, "anything suspicious?"

"You tell me, _Anbu_ ," the woman countered derisively, sighing as her silence failed to prompt them further. "No, nothing. They both left as they came. Why are you even asking me? Weren't you tracking their every move?"

"Personally," was the masked individual's only comment to descend from the overhanging branch which gently swayed, signifying their lithe departure.

"Then why are you eve-! Errgh, I hate Anbu!" Rieko snarled angrily, not realizing she had stood. Relaxing back down, she shifted in frustration, no longer capable of comfort. Jeering, she shook her head in ill humor, "Arrogant asshats."

 **11:10PM; Konoha – Military Police Headquarters**

Electricity buzzed within a tidy room. Well-lit and quiet as a middle-aged man patiently waited, sitting at a cold metal table with his left arm lain atop its worn surface.

He faced the reflective side of this room's one-way window, taking a sip of his black coffee in thought. He languidly smacked his tongue on the bitter, lukewarm beverage as he stared through the dull cement floor.

The man had spikey brown hair that jutted in several vertically inclined directions. He wore a metal faceplate that only covered his right side which also displayed the Leaf's insignia. The medaled individual hadn't gone home from his newly expired shift, as he still boasted his crisp uniform which was deep blue with a congruently black, lightweight flak jacket faintly reminiscent of the green protection many jonin often displayed.

The signature Uchiha influence made its mark upon the mandatory shirt, but no longer overtook its appearance with the clan's unique high collar, eventually fading from the uniform under a mandate declared by the Fourth Hokage which prompted non-Uchiha shinobi to uphold the law if they so desired, thus causing an eventual rework of the ensemble. However, the Uchiha clan's insignia-inspired logo still marked the headquarters and policeman as it grew into the substantial establishment of present day.

The Military Police was a preferable career choice for plenty of women and men with families, and generally acted as an alternative to the simple life of a civilian, the harsh duties of a shinobi, or the fiercer commitment of an Anbu operative.

Looking up, the harshened man stood expectantly as the door retreated and another member of the Military Police entered, pulling the steel door shut behind him. "Evening, Setsuna."

"Evening." They shook hands sternly before taking their seats, facing each other. They were close in age, but the newcomer was younger; even if he didn't look it.

The officer shifted uncomfortably in the collapsible chair, casting black eyes at his reflection. His mane was unkempt without the hat but its soft nature did not bar his Uchiha heritage. There was a sword-like streak of grey hair blooming from his left temple, and he placed his cap on the table, gesturing toward the one-way pane, "Just occurred to me that we should be on the other side of that glass."

"Heh, don't worry. No one's here," the experienced lieutenant appeased, waving off their mirrored duplicates. "Your contact… How did it go?"

"Just as planned," the greying lieutenant elated, sighing as he dazed through the table in memory. "My contact did everything by the book. He got it. It's extraordinary Setsuna; the very suspicion we caused provided the exact opportunity for them to pull this off."

"Ahh, Inabi. There's a source of pride to be found in a perfectly executed strategy," the elder Uchiha sighed contently, relaxing in his chair as he lifted the off-white mug to his face, swallowing more of the disagreeable liquid. "So where is it? Does the Anbu still have it?"

"Damn it, that's the beauty," the younger policeman exclaimed, reaching into a pocket beneath his armored vest. With great elation, the officer produced a scroll of provoking unfamiliarity. It was of average thickness, and maybe a little longer than the standardized scrolls so commonly found, but the general style of the thing was unknown. He placed the foreign object on the table with eager suspense, "this is it."

"You can't be serious," Setsuna almost whispered, looking between the scroll and his compatriot in shock. He made the double take once more before lifting the item in his hands which began to quiver with nervous adrenaline, "This is… _This is it_?!"

"I don't know how those desert fucks managed it, but that's it. That's our war," Inabi finished soberly, almost choking up at the realization of the imminent terror that was about to ensue. "Well… Now that it's here, I guess-"

"It's time. All this power…right here? I'll get it done as planned – another midnight walk, just like the last fourteen months…" The lieutenant and officer hesitated a moment, sharing a dark-eyed stare of final resolve. They were nervous, "…Inabi-"

"Save it, I know. Don't worry," the greying subordinate offered as they found themselves standing, gripping each other's forearm, "we'll see this to the end."

Setsuna paused before nodding in temperate realization. The ranking officer nodded solemnly once more, clasping his partner on the shoulder with his alternate hand before releasing the grip to make his way out of the room, glancing over his shoulder, "Go home, Inabi."

With that, Uchiha Setsuna slipped from view. Departing his station a little later than normal, the sharingan user kept his composure as he said goodnight to a few remaining officers wrapping up their final reports.

Greeted by yet another cool, breezy Konoha night, the reliable lieutenant took in a deep breath, freeing the air to relinquish an irrelevant fraction of his suddenly infinite anxiety. Looking toward a moon in full lunar radiance, the unsteady Uchiha faced onward to begin his quiet, comfortable trek home.

 **Monday, 1:47AM; Konohagakure**

A foreign parchment's metallic trim glistened sleekly under the platinum moonlight. Pinned to a tree and carefully unfurled, the lengthy paper hung open, displaying strange glyphs of chakra manipulating design. Gently dancing in the soft gust, the scroll's internal timer finally ran out, launching a quiet huff of smoke that procured something of sizeable weight from its mysterious inscriptions. Whatever it was, it crumpled to the ground on a few dull thumps.

Stirring in the grass, a pained, muffled wheeze sputtered as a figure gasped for more air than the many wrappings covering it could provide. Tiredly attempting to stand, a dim sizzling was eventually heard, activated upon its summoning. The bound alien scrambled briefly, but before it could rid itself of the burning paper a great cacophonic explosion bloomed, shattering the adjacent trees as the concussive blast echoed between the many buildings nearby.

As the dust continued to rise, ninja and civilians alike emerged from their homes and offices to investigate. However, the dust plumed high and wide, obscuring the wreathed figure within.

Hovering above the meter-deep crater was a solid formation of matte sand and crystalline refraction, roughly shaped in a humanoid form. Descending, the fine sand parted and pulled from the figure before its feet touched down. Smoke continued to trickle from the red-hot grit as glass fell in irregular chunks, stabbing into the dirt. The being trembled under its own, freed weight, and its jagged breathing began to deepen and heave. As the abrasive protection was lifted from its face, the deprived insomniac revealed violently bloodshot eyes of hateful aqua.

Staggering again as the curious voices reached it, the tortured jinchuuriki grabbed fistfuls of scarlet hair as another voice, maniacally senseless and bloodthirsty, screamed deafeningly for the slaughter of innocents. Neglected and decrepit, Gaara succumbed to the torment, powerless to resist the evil consciousness that sought to engulf him.

Giving in to his unrelenting hate and agony, the poor young outcast merged his many years of suffering with the demon's putrid violence after a single beat of his pulse.

A sudden clearing was created as a black and purple energy emitted a godlike shock. Devastating the surrounding area with the sheer force of Shukaku's realization, the bijuu manifested itself exponentially, powered further by the grace of Luna's fruition.

The jagged colossus heaved with raw, unbridled power and freedom. Its black, star-like eyes seethed and scanned, thirsty for the many lakes of blood there were to be spilled.

Opening its tongue-less maw, the Ichibi released a sound Konoha would never forget.

The tectonic expulsion of wind knocked the nearby pedestrians away, tumbling them like helpless ragdolls thrown by children. Many of the thrown citizens were injured as several perished with a splattering of their skull against the earth or a backward breaking around a structural support beam. The homes closest to the beast began to crumble, some even collapsing in the thunderous grating of wood, steel and concrete, dreadfully adding to the ghastly scene.

The chaos was instant, slowing the nearby shinobi as they attempted to recompose themselves in efforts to discover the cause of such an upheaval.

Jerking around in murderous fervor, the spiked behemoth dashed in a blurry leap toward another sect of buildings, several blocks from its origin of arrival. Shukaku easily leveled entire complexes, unleashing hatred with brutal slashes of its vile claws and cursed tail.

 **Elsewhere**

Minato bolted upright as a numbing roar echoed about his village, unable to hear what Kushina had asked beside him. Instructing her to retrieve their daughter, the Hokage was outfitted in a nanosecond before he vanished as the very earth quaked beneath their feet.

Arriving atop a taller apartment near the center of the Leaf, Minato's blue eyes whipped about, easily locating a being that made his heart sink. Looking on in horror, the blonde leader recognized the terror as Suna's Ultimate Weapon. Gritting his teeth in shaken, defensive anger, the Yellow Flash blinked into action.

Within the confines of a rounded second, the Fourth appeared to and roused his predecessor, jonin, Anbu, and Military Police.

In a moment following, the Hokage materialized beside the Ichibi where he threw one of his special kunai toward it. The monster didn't notice its challenger until he appeared, devastating it with dual odama rasengan. Leaving a remarkable crater in its shoulder, the veteran teleported to safety before a massive sandy claw collided roughly with his previous position.

Locating the Leaf's protector with two dark stars of golden malice, Shukaku destroyed a water tower the shinobi stood upon before continuing to lunge for the Flash as Minato dashed and incessantly pelted the creature with ninjutsu. While helpful, the distraction was nearly fatal as the bijuu whipped, catching the teleporter with a hook of its horned tail.

Thrust into hazardous rubble, the man quickly emerged as he was joined by some terribly needed reinforcements. However, their arrival stirred Shukaku's hate, and he dove for the densest formation, scattering and crushing many shinobi and buildings as he landed, turning with a cruel swipe of his tail.

 **Elsewhere**

Awful moments of confused dismay were all that the beast offered before Yume dazedly woke, scattered mercilessly with the remains of her hospital's upper levels.

She came to in the abysmal shadows, coughing in thoughtless confusion. Attempting to fidget and stand, a scream inducing pain welcomed the Uchiha to a torturous awakening. Grabbing onto a steel rod, she wiped some grey powder from her dark eyes before she stared at a glistening white bone protruding from her thigh.

Agonizing tears had swelled as she studied the bar she grasped under the dim light pouring between chunks of artificial rock. The steel emerged from her abdomen, coming through the small of her back to exit below the ribs. Her throat was dry, and she made cracked attempts to join many others in their shrieks for survival.

 **Shukaku**

The Fourth was directing his grim jonin and disheveled Anbu as several others joined him. Close to his left appeared the previous Hokage, grumbling an angry remark as the old-timer assisted in directing the creature's terrible attacks from the quickly organizing village.

Among the shinobi at his side were two of the three sannin, unwilling to summon their large allies just yet as their titanic fighting would probably level the hidden village.

"Tsunade, round all the medics now! Start tending to the wounded!" Minato commanded, speedily releasing a powerful wind jutsu. "Jiraiya, Kakashi, gather the chunin and jonin into mixed squads! Work in unified attacks – defend against its outbursts!"

"Yes sir!" the men shouted, disappearing in a haze to secure their armed forces.

"Obito! Your team?!" the tactical Hokage urged, realizing in sudden congruence with the lack of Sasuke where his son currently was. Their mission was in vain.

"Right!" the expert Uchiha obeyed, leaping away with Shisui and Itachi in tow as they unleashed a unified fireball of blazing enormity.

Frantic, Minato summoned a familiar blue-green toad, "Gamagosu!"

Appearing nonchalantly, fear quickly struck the amphibian as his bulging eyes witnessed a great curse-marked monstrosity wreaking havoc before his summoner repeated himself harshly. "Wh- Yes Minato-sama?!"

"My son is on a fatal mission in the village that caused this!" the fearful father shouted, grabbing the toad by its thin shoulders. "You have to warn them! Now!"

"Y-y-yes sir!" Gamagosu stammered, bursting into smoke.

Recalling another jonin on mission, Minato instantly pulled out one of his fuinscrolls before destroying it between his rasengan filled hands.

While the commander directed his units, the invading bijuu had peered past its distractions, locking eyes with the blonde defender as bits of parchment were scattered in the wind.

Growling with wrathful menace, the Ichibi arched its back, lifting its tail as its great jaws opened wide toward the nocturnal sky. To the chilling dismay of the surrounding shinobi, a great orb of dark chakra started to form, swiftly drawing debris from the area toward it with its immense density. As the pulsating orb rapidly increased in size, Minato prepared himself as he stared Shukaku in the face.

" **Don't** **fuck with me**!"

 **End**

* * *

 **Who can you trust?**

 **-Kyzer-**


	26. Moving Pieces

**24**

 **-Moving Pieces-**

* * *

 **Ichibi**

It was extremely dark, and morbidly so. Quiet too, aside from some vague orchestra of dread that lulled in the forgotten distance beyond. Something shuffled softly in the shallow liquid.

'… _? Hm?_ ' A harsh, universal pounding eroded the being's slumber. Like blood in the ears attempting to burst, ' _…Where am I?_ '

Opening his nautical eyes, the thin man was met with a dim, gored glow. The air smelled burnt, and confusion wracked his brain, ' _What is this… Why is it so cold. I hate the cold…_ '

The sound of a puddled step surprised him. Jerking down at the black liquid covered floor beneath, he realized it was his own sound. He took a shaky breath and muddled forward, hugging himself in the barren, stagnant environment.

Disoriented and shivering, he felt he knew this place, or at least the idea of it. He called out, feeling he was not alone in this abominable landscape, "Hello…?"

" **SILENCE,** " boomed some enormous voice, dislocated yet filling the space nonetheless. The sheer force of the command quaked the foundation beneath the carrier's feet, and he stumbled to a dowsing fall.

"Ugh…" with shaking arms he brought himself to his hands and knees, staring into the rusted reflection. "Ah. Yes…"

With struggling determination, Gaara rose to his feet. The disturbing noises in the distance had slowly become louder, congruent with the man's own consciousness. He became aware of the sounds, and after some time he could make out something akin to language in the form of brave commandments or doomed screams.

"Shukaku." The acknowledgement created a swell of hatred and wrath that stabbed into the unmoving air with brutish anger. But the sand user's face was antithetical, placid, cool. Hollow and unfed. Gaara's full awakening ignited a reconnection, and the deficient shinobi was suddenly thrust into self-awareness of the slaughter he was distantly participating in.

The merge stunned him from his subconscious persona, melding him back into the fury of the Ichibi. The hatred he thought he had at bay burst forth, gushing through him as he observed the hysterical destruction. Suggestions of how he arrived here, and the words of his own father rang around his mindscape, lending an approval of the massacre.

Gaara peered down as the mighty claws of his reverse host tore through buildings and crushed the limp bodies of fathers and mothers. His hate and pain dulled as blood was spilt and innocents perished. A redness hindered his tired eyes, his brow furrowed faintly, and a scowl tugged at his tranquil mouth as he stared at the carnage through the eyes of his bijuu. Reaching out to the monster which had taken control, the jinchuuriki lent a single command, chilling and detached, "…Slaughter them all."

"…Every last one."

 **Road to Suna**

Two figures ambled calmly through the dark, subtly alert as they travelled slowly toward their coarse home country. Bright moonlight pierced the tussled canopy in silver rays, fully splashing the road with chilled hues between clustered oaks.

The soft static hum of frogs and insects wavered throughout the evening, their music distant and irrelevant before ceasing in a sharp hush. An air of unease became blatant in nature's quiet. The forest life no longer sang and even the trees seemed to bend grimly to forebode the horror that befell a hapless village to the east.

Kankuro's hooded visage turned on his six, prompting his sister's interest as he stopped.

They felt before they could hear, skin rising in bumps as their instincts recognized the signs their environment provided. Raucous despair tore from their denied fears and vague, buried regrets. A cry of the fiend festering inside their baby brother.

Kankuro shrunk and his sister gasped quickly, ravaged with wide-eyed shock by the sinister boom that rippled for miles. The thick stench of bloodlust clung to the wind as they rushed into a desperate sprint.

"What was that…?!" Temari was beside herself, heaving her body in great lunges between trees as she made chase for some confirmation. Shock scrambled the kunoichi's thoughts as curiosity peaked around freshly bloomed concern. The boy she now feared for had been a blight on Suna's existence for some time. In the grand scheme she had only one sibling, really. In Kankuro. The only family who dreadfully flew beside her through the branches in search of irrefutable evidence. Why did these thoughts plague her now?

The two retraced their ground in a fraction of the time it took to stroll, arriving at Konoha with wild abandon.

Faintly obscured atop high trunks, dense cores of lead dropped in the bellies of the Sand ninja.

With their own eyes the duo paid witness to Konoha's double-crossing coup d'état, and a treachery from their own country.

"We delivered Gaara?" Shaking his head, Kankuro's face-paint distorted as he balled his fists in anxious confusion. "The weapon was _Gaara_ …!?"

Vaguely aware as a thought provoked Temari's body, the puppet master caught his sister by the elbow, turning her toward him with her back to the scene. "We can't do anything now. It's too late."

The blonde paused, looking back at the fully manifested atrocity. The abomination that haunted her childhood. The entity her father vengefully stuffed into her littlest brother, ending in the loss of any paternal affections after Gaara severed their maternal links at birth. She would never admit the blame she posed on him. Especially not now.

Kankuro and Temari were alone, wrung with sorrow long foreseen and dully unceremonious. The eldest hugged herself, closing her eyes with a shivering sigh. This was the end for their little brother. He could not take on the entire Village Hidden in the Leaves, even with Shukaku's power. "Father did this."

He could not comment on her observation. He merely hunched there, gratefully shadowed as he stared knowingly at the violence on Konoha. They had finally lost him, and his demise would surely sow further grievances.

She turned at Kankuro, masked with a scowl of antagonized wrath. "Goddammit… Let's go."

 **Land of Fire**

A safe breeze of familiarity wafted about a discreet campsite housing three deft jonin. The ghillie tent sat camouflaged between a tuft of bushes and some grand, native oaks.

Rin and company were relieved to be back in their homeland, or the land they call home at least.

General Mifune was the benefactor of their quick return to the westward continent, allowing the squad a handpicked unit to chaperon them safely back to the Land of Fire. It was a gesture of goodwill and thanks for the attempt to solve what was thought to be a minor rogue problem, but they knew its duality played as a subtle suggestion to keep the distance.

Rin was on watch as her students ate their meals in silent content, studying the nocturnal woods with familiar scrutiny. It was dark, and the night was cool and cloudless beneath the perforated canopy.

In an instant, a jagged, piercing sensation rolled over them with the almighty force of dread as a great menacing boom reverberated throughout the country. Their hairs stood on end and their eyes went wide as they paused, trying to identity the frightful chorus.

"…Did that come from Konoha?!" Neither woman answered Unzari as they rushed to gather together the pure necessities before vaulting for their home. And in a couple moments, they were gone.

Their sprint was rapid, fueled by adrenaline as they raced at breakneck speeds toward their village.

They had only made a couple of miles before a painful pinching sensation erupted in Rin's psyche, causing her to flinch and hold her head as she launched herself from tree branch to tree branch.

Simultaneously, her gear began to vibrate as a muffled but violent ripping sound emanated from within.

"The fuinscroll!" Rin exclaimed, bringing the bag to her hands as she peered inside, witness to a heap of confettied parchment. "H-Hokage-sama!"

 **Suna**

Two shinobi were coming, they sensed it, but the overt banging at the door still shocked their nerves. Four superiorly adept shinobi hid within the modest hotel room illegally, understated fugitives within their "allied" village of Sand.

Sasuke and Yagiza turned toward their captain with firm eyes. Sasoriza provided a tight nod and a silent gesture toward the resting Uzumaki. They had prepared for such an instance. In his antithetical disguise as a frail old man, the Uchiha approached their company, barking, "Eh, just a minute out there!"

Two tan cloaked ninja filled the entryway as they stared down at a hunched foreigner stroking a grey, wispy beard. Tilting his head, the shorter of the two gazed past the bald elder and into the hotel, spotting a middle-aged woman and a young man playing a game of cards on the couch.

"How are you today Hattori-sama?" asked the tall, shrouded kunoichi as she watched his every move with hidden eyes behind a rectangular slit in her hood. Her voice was loud, not in volume, but power. Her silk laden words held an air of commanding regality.

"Ah, eh, not so good. You see, I fell a couple months ago, and my back hasn't been the same since. My doctor said to-" Mr. Hattori started, squinting upward as he was interrupted.

A raised palm was all that silenced the senior before the Suna woman continued, "Sorry, but my brother and I are here on official business. Have you seen anything suspicious during your stay? Any…especially low-profile persons? Criminals up to no good?"

The silent brother brushed past a disguised Sasoriza and entered the quaint hotel as the woman questioned, slowly turning his shrouded visage about the room with unrelenting scrutiny. He turned over their luggage and lifted a vase in the corner before checking the bathroom. He found nothing and gestured for the mother and son to rise before he flipped the cushions of the couch and grew agitated at his lack of discovery.

"Oh, absolutely!" the cane-wielding grandfather affirmed, causing a jerk of the shorter shinobi's attention as his questioning sister tilted her head in a delicate manner. "Just this morning I went down to the café and there was a youngster playing pranks on-"

"What sort of pranks…?" she put expectantly, leaning with a hand on her hip. Her tone seemed lightly brushed with sleepy amusement.

"Well I'm trying to tell ya, damn it," he exasperated, giving a wag of his gnarled finger at the ninja's disruptions. She might have been smirking under her beige hood, "I was trying to enjoy my breakfast when I felt a sting on my ass, but when I turned around no one was there! Then I settled back down and went to take another bite but I was poked again! That bastard wouldn't _-_ "

"Alright Hattori-sama, thank you, that will be enough," the kunoichi offered with a chuckle, causing her subject to scowl, much to her satisfaction. "We know about the kids, you do not seem to have encountered what we are looking for. Sorry for wasting your time, sir, enjoy your stay."

"Ah, fine, thanks- and do something about that damn girl, would ya?" he complained, throwing his hand up as he retired. He turned slowly and made his way a couple steps indoors before the woman spoke expectantly.

"C'mon Itaru, we're done here," the Suna woman suggested in an easy, lighthearted tone. The commandment in her voice caused great concern among the fugitives.

Frustrated with his search, the suspicious twin put two rough hands on the woman's chest, quickly lifting her up against the wall by fistfuls of her humble dress. His hands were heavy and strong, balled up in thick leather gloves. Finally speaking, his voice was an urgent, soft gravel, "Where is the girl? Your daughter- where is she?"

The returning senior gasped as a masquerading Sasuke leapt from his place out of the way and began hammering the shinobi, shouting various threats as his deceptively childish blows went ignored.

"What is it brother?" the sister detective asked, taking a curious and cautious stance under the doorframe. Her gloved hands were nearly hidden by the cloak, but the unmistakable gleam of a kunai could be seen, lowered and ready.

"There's only three, Kotori." The brother's tone was lethal, weighted with experienced accusation as the air seemed to momentarily vibrate within the enclosed space.

"No, where is she, what are you going to do to her?!" the mother screamed, loud enough for the sound to carry beyond the private space. The one named Kotori flinched mildly, deftly shutting the door before placing a relaxed palm on her twin's shoulder. He turned to her, gently setting the berated woman back down before taking a step back as he bowed in forced apology.

The Sand woman began to soothe the startled civilian, "We're not going to do anything to her ma'am, we just want to-"

There was an approaching patter before the door burst open, revealing a young girl who attempted to assault the woman standing before her mother.

Turning, Kotori caught the girl and allowed her to land a few hits as Itaru backed off and tactfully placed himself before the exit. As the quiet man stood by, the kunoichi released the child, offering an apology and simple explanation.

"It's okay honey, they're just looking for some bad-guys, mommy's okay," a disguised Yagiza hushed, hugging the illusion as it ran into her arms.

Exchanging a sly glance, the twins bowed as the kunoichi apologized, "Please excuse our disturbance!"

"I-it's fine, really, we're okay," the faux mother offered, pressing the girl into her with an attempt to conceal her distrust.

"Thank you for your understanding. Enjoy the rest of your stay; free of charge for the intrusion." Rising from their bow, Itaru made his way outside as Kotori lingered momentarily, "Take care."

With that the twins were gone, inspecting their northbound neighbors as the detective duo continued their futile search.

Konoha's agents waited in anxious caution for some time before breaking character to relax back to their original forms. Suddenly, a makeshift hammock could be seen suspended against the ceiling above the window where the damaged Uzumaki was recovering. Meanwhile, the daughter clone that Yagiza had constructed for their life-saving act dissipated in a warp of shadow.

"That did not go well," Sasoriza expressed, moving with phantom silence across the room to take a careful seat at the table. "They suspect something, despite our charade. Their instincts know it. That will be enough for them to come back and search unmandated, or key us in on their wipe list."

"Wipe list?" Sasuke asked distractedly, crossing his arms as he rested his weight on the far wall.

"Then we must move," Yagiza agreed, unconsciously making her way to bring Naruto back down with the younger Uchiha's unspoken help. "Our chance of a quiet departure decreases by the minute."

"Yes, but the question remains of our retreat. How are we to escape with Shugeki incapacitated and the entirety of Sunagakure on high alert…" Sasoriza calculated, genuinely searching for ideas outside his own. "This intelligence is going to change the lives of everyone in Konoha, especially if we need to go to war. We must deliver it."

"What about his fuinjutsu?" Borei inquired, arms folded again as he leaned against the wall with his viper face on. Slowly, he turned his head toward his superiors as they had not replied. "We need to leave as soon as possible, and Nar-… Shugeki is the fastest and safest transportation."

"Is he even fit to perform this feat?" Yagiza questioned, rising from the couch to pace in concentration. Her footfalls made no sound, and her body language suggested she was ready for an ambush. "Would it not be a strain on his body?"

"It is worth the shot to complete this mission," Sasuke stated evenly, shifting his visage toward the jinchuuriki's form. "He'll be fine, but we need to wake him and go."

Nodding, his elder clansman agreed, "You are right, Borei. Our time here is up. Wake him." Turning, he referred to the Hyuga, "Keep watch while we prepare."

Without hesitation Yagiza gracefully lowered to rest on her knees in a deep focus of dojutsu. Veins bulged behind her bore mask as her vision expanded and penetrated the surrounding area with fine detail.

 **Land of Toads**

A chorus of dispute reverberated under a damp roof, soaked by the forests of Mount Myoboku. Moments prior, a scared young native appeared to the elders in a nervous rush, baring terrible news.

The modestly sized, black-scarfed toad raised havoc among all his comrades until he reached his superiors, alerting them to the assault wrought on Konoha in the flickering torchlight. Gamagosu, previously summoned by the Hokage, had come as soon as possible after a confusing moment of failure to appear to Naruto. The Kyuubi's jinchuuriki was unreachable, revealed upon hasty inspection as the man's contract signature was flashing red in slow, dismal drums.

Gamagosu did not find what he wanted in his elder's response.

"You want me to just wait?" the youthful toad inquired in shaky surprise as heated discussion blared around them. "What if he's in trouble?!"

"No, you _have_ to wait; there's nothing we can do. The flashing is a sign that Naruto-san has been on the brink of death," replied the croaky voice of a small, old toad with grey spouts of hair. "It's a countermeasure against any unconscious summons. The contract will open once he wakes."

"What do I do until then?!" Gamagosu pressed passionately, wishing to provide aid to his summoner and the loyal village.

The small elder took a reminiscent breath with a soft gaze on the youngling, "We have not been summoned yet. They must have the situation under control; it is the Hokage and Jiraiya after all. So what you can do now is have faith, and prepare yourself to assist Naruto-kun when the time comes."

The worried toad could not accept the advice, but nodded to his superior anyway, leaping away to think. He wondered how he would word the awful news with the patriotic young shinobi. Realizing the stress was going to distract and blind his judgement, Gamagosu began to meditate. 'Come on Naruto-kun… Wake up.'

 **Konoha's Wall**

Clear skies permitted a flood of the moon's brightness to wash down over the earth, pouring into the Beast of Sand in silver empowerment. Shukaku had only been manifested for a few moments and yet he had already killed dozens while injuring a hundred more. It was a promising start.

But the citizens of the village were full of courage and hope. They restricted the creature's mobility and evacuated at an impressive rate, banding together under the ironclad command of their faithful Hokage.

"Namikaze Minato," sighed a young man, carefree and lazily excited. He stood relaxed in the shadows with his hands in the pockets of his jacket as his spikey hair tussled in the wind. "That bastard is gonna be hard to catch, eh, Yushin-sama?"

An impressive figure nodded coolly, crouched on the ledge as his shadowed eyes remained locked on the main event. After the Shukaku's tail leveled a hospital, the rejuvenated captain turned toward his left, eyeing a tight whisp of movement that came for them from within the village. Raising a palm, the veteran held Kosai and his many hidden subordinates, "Relax, it's them."

A thick band of shadow halted at the foot of the inner wall, sinking as a piece launched itself to the top.

"Yushin," the fully covered, black cloaked newcomer greeted.

"Setsuna," he replied professionally, bowing in respect.

"What are the orders?" the semi-face-plated Uchiha inquired after reciprocating, his experienced eye visible in the horizontal opening of his black shroud.

"We test them," Yushin answered, returning his attention to the Ichibi. "Assist our friend here. And when they fail, the day is won."

"And if they don't fail?" Setsuna asked in his gruff, doubtful manner.

"Then we raze what we can, pull back, and the day is still a success," the hulking figure informed in bored arrogance, raising an eyebrow at the masked man.

"Understood," the aged shinobi nodded, whipping as the terrorizing force of chakra roared threateningly. "On who's order do we reveal ourselves?"

"Mine." A new shadow appeared behind Yushin, imposing and calm in its leather wind coat, earning a jaded glance from the muscular captain.

"Aoto," the hulking man grunted, rising to his full height.

"Evening gentlemen," the smooth featured traitor bowed shallowly, sweeping a disinterested look over the village before regarding his larger subordinate. "Are you ready to practice our new technique, brother?"

Yushin grunted, folding his arms before looking back. There was a flicker, and Konoha's invaders vanished into the heart of its chaos.

 **End**

* * *

 **Rest in peace, Daby. May the Infinite Tsukuyomi treat you well.**

 **-Kyzer-**


End file.
